Nightlin Tidbits
by poetsgranddaughter
Summary: I adore Michelle's work but I am a total Nightlin fan! I plan on writing about various encounters they have together.
1. Lost Part 1

Quick note: this is my very first foray into writing fanfiction. Please be kind! All of these characters and the world they live in belong solely to Michelle Sagara. I'm merely borrowing them to satisfy my Nightlin interaction cravings.

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The world was spinning. Or maybe it was just Kaylin's head that was spinning. All of her senses were jumbled and distorted. An eternity passed, or perhaps only moments, before her surroundings slowly coalesced into images and sounds that her brain could process as something normal. Or a value of normal that didn't make her feel like vomiting.

The branches and leaves above her head were thick and full of chattering birds. The sun was bright where it peeked through the thick foliage, dappling the ground she lay on. The clamor and brightness made her head pound even worse. She felt too weak to get up but puking still had a high probability of occurring so she rolled over so she could avoid, at the very least, spewing her lunch all over herself. She closed her eyes to the world that had began spinning again as she gingerly rolled to her side. She was reluctant to open her eyes and so began cataloging her various aches and pains. She was certain nothing was broken but equally certain she had accumulated an impressive array of bruises. She would've been content to lay there with her eyes closed a little while longer had she not heard a quiet moan much closer than she would've liked to hear. Her eyes flew open and only relaxed marginally when she saw that it was Nightshade beside her, bleeding from a large cut on his head and seemingly unconscious.

He was a danger yes but not the most immediate nor the most pressing of dangers on her list of things to be worried about. The small noise he made aside, the fact he was unconscious sent unwelcome wave of fear through her since she could not tell if he was still breathing. She reached a shaking, hesitant hand out to touch his neck and see if she could feel a pulse. She knew, in theory, she would know if he were dead but her marks were dormant and her magic otherwise silent. She could hear nothing from any of her name-bound. The silence was unsettling. As her hand gently touched his neck, she felt a wave of relief that gave way to shock in the space between one heartbeat and the next. Faster then she knew was possible he had grabbed hold of the wrist of the hand touching him, grasped her own throat with his other hand, and pinned her to the ground by straddling her legs.

Shock spiraled into fear, dark and desperate fear, as she realized there was no recognition in his midnight blue eyes. Death was written in his cold features. Her death. She had no hope of defeating him in a fight on a good day and was far too weak now to fight him off as his hand gripped tighter. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes onto the forest floor as she struggled to form words in a desperate attempt to bring the fieflord to his senses.

"Nightshade... Nightshade..." she choked out in between belabored breaths.

"Calarnenne..."

As the world began growing black around the edges of her vision, his name struck him like a slap to the face. His eyes rounded in shock and he ripped his hand off her neck like she was fire and had burned him. Still pinning her wrist above her head, he whispered her name. Before she could demand he move, his eyes fluttered shut and he once again lost consciousness. She was already gasping for air after being nearly strangled to death. Having a Baranni fieflord passed out halfway on top of her did not help her in the least. She too succumbed to unconsciousness with her last conscious thought on Nightshade's blood she felt soaking her clothes.


	2. Lost Part 2

Sounds reached her first: fire crackling, wind running its fingers through the leaves, branches creaking, the ripping of fabric, the quick intake of a quiet breath. When Kaylin was first thrown to this strange, foreign forest everything was jumbled and disorienting with the massive sensory overload. Now her brain felt so sluggish that it felt like her senses were slowly showing up for roll call, one by one. The smell of musty earth, decaying leaves, and wood smoke tickled her nose but she prayed fervently that she wouldn't sneeze. Her ribs hurt too much for that. And her throat... The pain in her throat reminded her that she didn't come here alone. She struggled to open her eyes. They felt so heavy and gritty that opening them was more of a struggle then it usually was on any given morning. Or afternoon since Kaylin's definition of morning was a little vague.

After she forced her eyes open and blinked a few times, she saw that it was not morning by any definition and the forest was now cast in shadow and moonlight. She also had what appeared to be a cloak, with several inches missing from the bottom, draped across her. She looked around for the owner of said cloak and found him across the campfire he must have built. The fieflord was kneeling on the ground, with his tunic set neatly to the side. He was looking decidedly less homicidal and more like the composed outcaste Barrani Lord he normally was. He had pulled his hair into a warrior's topknot, presumably to keep his long hair from the gash on his forehead and from getting tangled in the strips of his cloak he was wrapping tightly around his waist. Kaylin hated the blush that the sight of a shirtless Nightshade sent rushing to her cheeks and quickly averted her gaze. It was then that she noticed the blood soaked wood fragment laying on the ground beside him that he must have pulled out of his own abdomen. No wonder he had been bleeding profusely.

She must made some small noise at the sight because Nightshade glanced up from his work to look at her. His eyes darted briefly toward her throat and darkened a few shades at the sight of the bruises his hand had left there.

"My apologies, Kaylin. I was not quite... myself."

"Are you going to get all strangly on me again?" Kaylin rasped out of a tender throat. Marcus would've said she sounded like dying kitten.

"I can not promise that I won't be tempted to strangle you in the future as your propensity for causing trouble is astounding but I'm not likely to act on such an impulse. However, it is generally considered ill-advised to startle an unconscious and injured Barrani Lord."

"That was a lot of words just to say no, Nightshade."

Nightshade raised an eyebrow at her as he tied off his makeshift bandage.

"Would you like me to try to heal you?"

"I find it highly unlikely that any such attempt would be successful as magic of any type seems dormant here. I can not hear you through my mark or the bond of my name and any attempts I've made to use my magic have thus far been futile. Even so, I would not allow it. I will survive my injuries. I have survived much worse." Nightshade hesitated before surprising her by adding, "but thank you for the offer."

_He must really not be feeling well._ Kaylin thought. She watched as he donned his tunic and gracefully stood up. Upon standing he bowed in her direction and then started making his way over to her side of the fire. Feeling suddenly conscious of the fact she was still laying down, covered in what was left of the fieflord's cloak, Kaylin sat up a little too quickly. Her bruised ribs decided to make themselves known and Kaylin let loose a volley of curses in multiple languages. When she got to the new Barrani words Terrano taught her, Nightshade raised his eyebrow at her and said nothing very loudly. He settled on the ground next to her before pulling his cloak back up around Kaylin's shoulders since it had fallen off when she sat up.

"Thank you," Kaylin whispered, feeling a little nervous at the nearness of him. He nodded in acknowledgment.

"Nightshade, where are we?"

"I am uncertain. I do not recognize the landscape or the local wildlife. It is nowhere I've been in my travels." He replied.

"How do you think we got here?"

Nightshade opened his mouth to reply but froze before he could answer. He sprung to his feet like he was not injured and kicked dirt over the small fire, extinguishing the flames. Kaylin scrambled to her feet with far less grace, clutching his cloak close to her with one hand and settled the other on the hilt of one of her daggers.

"What do you hear?" She asked, barely making a sound, knowing he'd hear her.

"Drums, Kaylin. I hear what sounds like a hunt in the forest. And it's getting closer."


	3. Lost Part 3

"Come Kaylin," Nightshade said quietly as he started moving further into the moonlit forest. He jogged silently over the unknown terrain, away from the sounds of a hunt that Kaylin could not yet hear. Kaylin's whole body protested as she ran after Nightshade, doing her best to run quietly but she lacked the typical Barrani grace. She wondered briefly how he was upright, much less running, after the injuries he sustained. She did manage to _silently_ curse her mortal eyes and her inability to see in near darkness everytime she stubbed her toes on fallen branches or an exposed tree root. After tripping over one such branch and falling on her knees, Nightshade backtracked and offered her a hand up. Holding onto him with one hand and gripping his cloak around her shoulders with the other, she found her feet again. She expected Nightshade to release her hand and continue running ahead. He surprised her by not letting go and continuing at a slower pace with Kaylin in tow.

"Nightshade," Kaylin whispered, "how can you be sure it's us they're hunting?"

"I cannot be certain. I do not think it wise to sit around and find out." He glanced back at her, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Next time we attempt to locate my brother in your Helen's basement perhaps we should wait for Helen to not be otherwise occupied. While this is certainly not boring, I did not intend to visit another world simply by walking through a seemingly innocuous door. Although, I should not be surprised as I was following you at the time and your propensity for getting lost is astounding."

"Hey!" Kaylin whispered indignantly.

Kaylin lost track of how long they moved through the forest. It was a blur of shadow, moonlight, and unfamiliar plant life. She was beyond the edge of exhaustion when Nightshade came to an abrupt stop. He was staring into the distance, his whole body tense. Kaylin worked her way around him, attempting to see what had caught his attention. There was a silvery light glowing in the distance. As she watched, it blinked out existence only to reappear several feet away. It repeated this several times as they looked on in unnerved fascination. She tried to let go of the fieflord's hand so she could walk ahead but he refused to release his hold. It reminded her of Teela except not as bruising. She tugged him forward a few steps when she suddenly stepped onto thin air. Kaylin squeaked as she tumbled into a hole in the ground, cursing her luck as she unbalanced an injured Nightshade enough that he tumbled in after her. They landed in a tangle of limbs, gasping in pain.

"I'm sorry," Kaylin whispered quickly, hoping she didn't injure him further.

"Definitely not bored..." Nightshade replied hoarsely. It dawned on her then that she was sprawled across him in some forsaken, claustrophobic pit in the ground with legs tangled and her hands crushing his tunic in a death grip. Severn would NOT be happy if he saw them now... Nightshade grunted when Kaylin inadvertently jabbed an elbow in his wounded abdomen in an hurried attempt to untangle herself from the fieflord.

"Kaylin, be still," he hissed. Kaylin, feeling guilty for obviously hurting him, stopped moving. Very aware of how close they were, relaxing seemed utterly impossible. But even as she thought it she laid her head on his chest and wrapped his cloak around both of them to ward off the cool dampness of the hole they'd fallen into. She was exhausted from their flight and her eyes were heavy. Listening to the steady beating of his heart, she drifted towards sleepiness. The fieflord very slowly and carefully wrapped his arms around her. The memories of Barren seemed so far away in this place.

A thought occurred to her and she jerked her head up, embarrassed it didn't occur to her a little sooner.

"Nightshade, shouldn't we be trying to get out of this pit? What about the hunting party? What about trying to get home?"

"We cannot run all night, Kaylin. I'm injured and you are clearly exhausted. At the moment, I am reluctant to move. However, the pit is not so deep that we are stuck. This is as good a place as any to rest. The drums are distant enough we should be able to stay for a few hours at least. I am uncertain how we will get home without the benefit of our magic. Try to sleep, Kaylin. I will keep watch."

"You're not going to go crazy and strangle me again, are you?"

"No, Kaylin." He tightened his arms around her and she lowered her head back down, burying her face into his tunic. Nightshade chuckled and gently kissed the top of her head.


	4. Lost Part 4

It took Kaylin an embarrassing amount of time to wake up enough to realize her bed was breathing. And it wasn't actually a bed... It was a fieflord. She snapped her head up, horrified at the thought that she may have drooled on Nightshade's tunic. It was still blessedly dark out so she couldn't see any drool puddles but she patted around on his tunic just to make sure.

"Kaylin? Are you well?" Nightshade asked. She started at his voice and loudly thought a Leontine curse. Of course the immortal who doesn't need sleep and could see in the dark would be awake.

"Yes, just umm... checking to see if my pillow was still alive." She winced, knowing as far as lies go, that was a pathetic attempt.

"I demonstrably am." He responded dryly. "The dead do not breath and the undead are unlikely to be such an obliging... pillow."

They fell silent. Kaylin was starting to feel a little awkward and so she carefully rolled her torso to the side away from his wound. She found the side of the pit very quickly. There was little room between the wall of the pit and Nightshade so she had little option but to remain half draped across him. He lay on his back and she lay on her side, head against his shoulder, his arm around her back, her arm across his chest, and legs still tangled. She debated telling him to move over but decided against it. She tried telling herself it was because one simply doesn't tell the fieflord to move. In reality, she wasn't sure she wanted him to move. She was in a foreign world where she had no access to the magic she had begun to rely on. She didn't have her familiar or Severn. She didn't even have Ynpharion's irritated commentary banging away in her head. In many ways, this was the quietest her head had been in many months. It was peaceful and unsettling in equal measures. Having him near grounded her in the familiar enough that the unfamiliar wasn't as overwhelming.

"Your brother must be worried by now..." Kaylin whispered, not really knowing why. She felt Nightshade take a deep breath before responding.

"I imagine your corporal is no less worried."

"Yes, I'm sure he is." Kaylin sighed, feeling guilty for not doing something, anything to get back home. Never mind that she didn't even know how to get back. The fieflord may not have been able to hear her through his mark or the bond of name but he obviously knew her well enough to know she was upset. Tightening his arm around her back, he brushed her hair away from her face in a gentle movement. When she didn't shy away Nightshade cupped her cheek with his free hand, angling her face up. His other hand was warm and steady on her back. He leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. He pulled back a little to check her reaction. When she didn't freeze from fear or memories and didn't pull away, he leaned back in to kiss her once more. It was a gentle kiss, free of demand and expectation. Kaylin wound her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. She pulled her mouth away a moment to breathe, to be sure she really did want to be kissing fieflord and that she wasn't just caught up in the moment. Nightshade waited without comment, simply allowing Kaylin to decide without pressure. Kaylin hesitantly pulled Nightshade's head towards hers and pressed her lips to his.

There was a sudden flash of light and sound overhead. Kaylin jerked her head away from Nightshade and looked up to find a portal directly above them with Hope in his vaguely Aerian form in the threshold.

"Hope!" Kaylin cried out, a thought occurred to her. "Was that you flashing around the forest?"

"Yes Chosen, I am limited on this world so I had to resort to slower means to find you. I did not expect to find you in a hole in the ground with your Barrani. Come, it is time to return. If you wish to leave Lord Nightshade here, let him go. If you wish to keep him, hold on tight. I do not personally care if he is left behind."

"Hope... we can't just leave him here!" As she spoke, Kaylin wrapped her arms around Nightshade's torso. He in turn tightened his hold on her.

"Very well, Chosen." Hope reached his arms out and hooked his hands under Kaylin's armpits and pulled them through the portal. He deposited them on Kaylin's dining room floor, still tangled up around each other. Kaylin glanced around and winced at the pissed off people assembled. Helen was stiff as a board. Teela looked like she was going to pull her sword and bisect Nightshade. Her knuckles were white on Kariannos' hilt. Annarion was red in the face and seemed to not know where to look. His hands were clenched into fists. Mandoran had his arms folded across his chest and was shaking his head. Bellusdeo was fortunately absent or she would've been snorting fire. Severn appeared to be one bad decision away from unwinding the chain of his weapon and swinging it at Nightshade's head. He walked very stiffly over to Kaylin and reached out a hand.

"This is not what it looks like!" Kaylin said a little bit too quickly. She took Severn's hand and scrambled to get up, careful this time not to jab Nightshade's abdomen. He stood up with far more grace but was paler than usual and he pressed a hand to against his wound.

"You will of course explain, kitling. I would suggest you explain quickly before Annarion attempts to murder his brother with my blessing. You have been missing for a day. None of your name held could reach you. You can't possibly imagine the uproar this has caused. Once Helen realized what happened, Hope went after you immediately but we had no idea what shape we'd find you in. Then to have you materialize in your dining room, covered in blood, your throat is covered in bruises that look suspiciously like a hand print, and you were entwined with Nightshade..." Teela paused a moment to glare at the offending Barrani. "Just tell us Calarnenne is not responsible for your injuries."

"He's not responsible for my injuries..."

She must've been less than convincing as half of the room's occupants took a step towards Nightshade. She quickly moved in front of him. Helen chose that moment to step in.

"Lord Nightshade did not cause intentional harm to Kaylin. From what I can tell, he wasn't fully conscious and reacted on instinct. As soon as he realized it was Kaylin he withdrew immediately and regrets the damage he caused intensely." Helen wrapped her arm around Kaylin's shoulders and stood with her in front of Nightshade. "Kaylin dear, let's see Lord Nightshade to the door."

Helen's words had a calming effect on the room and they let the injured fieflord pass without incident. Kaylin saw Nightshade outside, closing the door for a moment of privacy. Helen didn't like it but didn't interfere. Nightshade brushed his fingers on Kaylin's cheek.

"I think I should be concerned about attempts on my life in the near future." The corners of his eyes crinkled and a ghost of smile passed over his lips. He dropped his hand and swept a quick bow before turning to leave. Kaylin reached out and caught his sleeve.

"I'll make sure they don't try but just in case..." Kaylin stood on tiptoe and brushed a light kiss on his cheek. She slipped back inside with a smile.


	5. Unexpected

Note: I know this may not be everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed writing it. This will stay firmly out of the M rating. Enjoy!

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Kaylin held her hand over her stomach as she processed what Helen just told her.

"Are you blocking my name-held from hearing what you just told me?"

"Yes dear, but I believe Nightshade felt at least some of your distress." Helen said softly before moving in to hug Kaylin. "Do you wish for him to know?"

"I can hardly keep what I ate for lunch from him." Kaylin shook her head, feeling tears gather at the corner of her eyes. She pulled away from Helen and swiped at her eyes. "He'll find out eventually. Might as well let him hear me long enough to ask him to come here. Better I tell him in person..."

Kaylin could feel the sharpness of Nightshade's concern press in the moment Helen lowered her protections on Kaylin's thoughts.

_Kaylin, are you well?_

_No... could we talk? I mean in person..._

_I was already on my way to visit Annarion when I felt your distress. Helen very rarely let's me in when you are at home but I can feel your distress regardless. I will be there shortly._

Kaylin felt Helen cut off communication again as the tinge of the fieflord's concern faded away. Kaylin started pacing around her parlor, thinking about how things had gotten to this point. She had been exploring Helen's sublevels again with Nightshade, trying to find the door to the other world they'd fallen through before. Instead, they found a door to yet another world with it's own dangers and surprises. This time they fell straight into a bed of strange flowers that let off a massive cloud of pollen. Both of them had been covered, head to toe, in a fine yellow coating. The pollen had some rather unexpected side effects on both of them.

"Kaylin, dear, Nightshade is at the door." Helen interrupted her desperate attempts at remembering exactly what had happened. She could guess based on a few vague memories and the news Helen just gave her but had trouble believing any of it was possible. She hurried toward the door to open it before Helen could. Nightshade stood right outside, dressed in all black with his sword strapped to his side. Kaylin found it suddenly difficult to speak or look him in the eye. After a moment of awkwardly standing at the door Nightshade reached out his hand and tipped her head up with a gentle press of his fingertips under her chin.

"Kaylin, I do not need to hear your thoughts to know something is wrong."

"Can we... can we talk?"

"We are speaking now." Nightshade's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile.

"In private, I mean." Kaylin asked hesitantly.

Nightshade inclined his head in graceful assent. Kaylin grasped the sleeve of the hand touching her chin, tugging it away from her face. Not releasing her hold, she led him up the stairs and into her room. Nightshade raised an eyebrow in surprise at her choice in location.

Kaylin released his sleeve to start pacing once again. Nightshade waited patiently as Kaylin gathered her scattered and anxious thoughts. She paused a moment, stopping with her back turned to Nightshade. She wasn't sure she could ask what she needed to ask while looking at him.

"Nightshade, when we fell into those flowers and weren't quite ourselves..." Kaylin hesitated, recalling wrapping her arms around the fieflord's neck, looking up at him as he brushed the pollen off her eyes, cheeks, and lips. She could remember him pressing his lips to hers. Images flitted through her mind of him picking her up and carrying her out of the flowers to the nearby lake, of him holding her to his chest as she clung to him in the warm water, of them washing the pollen off each other...

Bringing her back to the present, Nightshade gently turned her around. She looked up and her breath caught at the sight of his sky blue eyes.

"What is it that you wish to ask?"

"Did we...? I mean, I don't clearly remember everything but I think we may have and I don't know what to think or say or do..."

"Kaylin," Nightshade interrupted, "even if we did, we were both under the influence of the pollen. We were not in control of ourselves. Even so, I did mark you as my Erenne. I don't find myself opposed to the thought."

"Annarion and Severn are going to be furious. Teela is going lose it."

"They do not need to know. This was two months ago. I see no reason to tell them now."

"Severn knows my name. He probably already knows. Regardless, we won't need to say anything. Everyone will know in a few months." To her disgust, Kaylin felt the tears welling up again. She watched as Nightshade's eyes shaded to a dark blue with hints of gold, hinting at worry and surprise.

"What are you saying?" Nightshade's voice sharpened to an edge.

"I'm pregnant." Kaylin whispered, feeling a tear streak down her cheek. "And I know I can't remember everything that happened but I know it had to be then because I haven't done anything before or after that. Not after Barren."

The fieflord stood there a moment, looking as shocked as she'd ever seen him.

"Are you certain?"

Kaylin nodded before telling him that Helen had only informed her a few hours ago. She sat down heavily on her bed, feeling scared and sick to her stomach. Bowing her head, she cursed the hormones making her cry. He moved so he was standing directly in front of her. She felt his hand brush the mark he'd placed on her cheek.

"This is unexpected..." His voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "I am sorry Kaylin."

Kaylin, not sure how to respond, pressed her hand protectively over her belly. She raised her head to meet his gaze. Not removing his hand from her cheek, Nightshade crouched down before her. He slid his hand slowly to cradle the back of her neck and placed his other hand over hers on her belly. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Unexpected but not unwelcome." He murmured before drawing Kaylin into a hug that did not demand any more than she could give.


	6. Uncharted Waters Part 1

This takes place after "Lost" and before "Unexpected". Apparently the muse struck me out of order lol.

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"I am of a mind to strangle Mandoran," Nightshade said, his tone dark and full of promises of retribution. He pressed his hands against the wall and unleashed a wave of magic. It was strong enough to make Kaylin's skin hurt but dissipated ineffectively along the wall in rivulets of sigils and light.

"You know that would only tick off your brother," Kaylin replied.

"I am already a grave disappointment to Annarion. I hardly think I could make him any more angry than he already is." A hint of bitterness twisted Nightshade's reply.

"I don't know... You two haven't been yelling at each other as loudly in the last couple days." Kaylin replied, silently thanking whoever may be listening for the blessed peace and quiet in her home. When Nightshade shot her a sidelong glance with a raised eyebrow she felt like kicking herself. The fieflord was privy to most of her thoughts, including her silent thanks that had not actually been intended for him.

"Indeed," Nightshade replied with some amusement, "Even though the overall volume of our conversations has lowered to more civilized levels, my brother and I are far from reaching a full understanding with one another. Annarion is idealistic and I do not meet his long-held expectations. He still holds out hope that some small portion of the brother he knew remains."

"And is he right?" Kaylin asked softly.

"Ah. That is the question, is it not?" He replied.

Before Kaylin had a chance to protest the lack of an actual answer to her question, a pin-size hole in the center of the floor starting dilating outward at a slow but steady pace. Impossibly, it appeared that the hole was opening up about 10 feet above a field of large yellow flowers. She sensed another wave of Nightshade's magic rush over the room to no effect. She felt more than heard him curse with Leontine ferocity.

"Kaylin, come," Nightshade said in a calm voice that belied the undercurrent of tension she couldn't help but sense through the bond of his name. He held out his hand, beckoning her to his side. Skirting the edge of the room while keeping an eye on the disappearing floor, she took his hand and let him draw her close.

She regretted leaving Hope with Mandoran. She was certain that Hope could've carried them both, which would handy right about now. But no... Mandoran and Annarion had insisted on trying to locate the portal that had led Nightshade and Kaylin to the other world that had been void of magic. Kaylin had sent Hope along to try to keep them out of trouble. She didn't take into account that she herself may get into trouble. With her track record, she wasn't sure why she had been expecting this to be simple and problem free. After they had failed to return after several hours and had lost contact with the rest of the cohort, she and Nightshade had set off into Helen's subfloors to try to locate them. Unfortunately, Helen seemed to be a bit unaware of certain sections of her underbelly. Kaylin highly doubted Helen knew they were about to be dumped through a portal into a bunch of odd looking flowers.

Kaylin pressed the hand that Nightshade wasn't gripping against the wall behind them. As she closed her eyes, she noted her marks had begun glowing. Perhaps they were glowing in anticipation of what she was about to try. She didn't much like the other possibility that they were glowing in response to an unknown danger. Helen, she urgently thought. Helen, we need you.

Kaylin thought she felt a flicker of Helen's awareness but before she could say anything more Nightshade swept her into his arms seconds before the floor disappeared completely.


	7. Uncharted Waters Part 2

The flowers were taller than Kaylin thought. Before she and Nightshade were dumped feet first into a different world, she'd thought the flowers were of a normal size. Not that she was a flower expert. She couldn't even keep the hardiest of houseplants alive. But it did seem to her that normal flowers shouldn't be shoulder height on a Barrani. Specifically the fieflord who had managed to land on his feet with Kaylin in his arms. Although, she admitted to herself, the plants' height wasn't the strangest thing about them. As Nightshade set her on her feet, she realized the flowers had released an excessive amount of pollen that was slowly drifting down as if gravity meant very little. They were quickly being covered in a layer of yellow powder.

"I will help you strangle Mandoran," Kaylin grumbled. "This is the SECOND time they're responsible for us getting stranded on another world. And I know this wasn't Annarion's idea."

Kaylin felt Nightshade's agreement through the bond of his name while he slowly took in their surroundings. She tried to look around as well but found that the flowers were taller than her on all sides and growing too closely together to see farther than a few feet. Giving up, she attempted to brush off the pollen but it just seemed to drift back towards her. _Severn_, She thought but was met with silence. The only one of her mind's regular visitors she could sense was Nightshade, which is more than she could sense on the last world. The sharp edge of his curiosity was almost contagious. She wondered what he was seeing that caused such a strong feeling.

"You could see what I see, Kaylin, if you so chose."

Kaylin couldn't resist the offer. She looked through the fieflord's eyes to see the field of flowers extended for some distance. There was a gauzy yellow haze lazily swirling above their heads. Kaylin could've sworn the haze wasn't there before they tumbled out of the portal. _No, I believe our fall precipitated the haze_, Nightshade thought in an internal hush. _Look in the distance._ Kaylin felt his gaze sharpen and focus on a massive tree that resembled a flowering weeping willow arching over a lagoon. The tree's tendrils were caressing the lake's surface while its blooms drifted off the tree and floated across the surface. The lagoon was surrounded by mossy, vine covered rocks and well-worn ruins. Even from a distance, it felt ancient and sacred. She could sense Nightshade's desire to explore the ruins, to see what he could learn of the long dead people of a different world.

Returning to her focus to her own body, Kaylin felt somewhat unbalanced. She couldn't quite be sure if it wasn't Nightshade who was feeling that way or herself. She took an experimental step forward and wobbled a little. Nightshade reached out a steadying hand, grasping her arm until she was steadier on her feet.

"Are you well?" He asked. Kaylin shrugged and struggled to not laugh at the sight of the normally elegant Barrani covered in a dusting of yellow powder. It crowned his head and shoulders mostly but was starting to cling to his robes as well. He raised an eyebrow and swiped a finger across her cheek. Showing her his yellow covered finger, he smirked a little.

"You are covered in more pollen than myself. I'm uncertain if this pollen is entirely benign. This is an unknown world with plant life that I have no experience with. It might be prudent to attempt to leave this field and dust ourselves off. Any attempt I have made to repel the pollen with magic has thus far failed, which I find slightly concerning."

"Alright, let's go this way then." Kaylin declared, marching past Nightshade in the direction of the lagoon. She still felt off-kilter but slightly steadier on her feet. As she made her way through the flowers, pushing long stems and leaves aside, increasing amounts of pollen were released into the air around them. She could feel Nightshade walking closely behind her, the disquiet of his thoughts betraying his growing suspicion towards the yellow haze.

The longer they walked the more unsteady Kaylin felt on her feet. After tripping and almost falling for the seventh time, she called a halt. Resting her hand on Nightshade's arm to steady herself, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nightshade's concern was quickly becoming her own. Even more concerning was that she could feel that Nightshade was also beginning to feel the same symptoms.

_Indeed_, he thought, _there's not many things that can effect a Barrani in this way. It is most... disconcerting. _


	8. Uncharted Waters Part 3

Thank you Rusalye for the feedback and encouragement! Fair warning, this entry has a decent amount of kissing. Nothing explicit though :)

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If a Barrani Lord found their current situation disconcerting, Kaylin thought she should be finding it terrifying. Somehow she couldn't quite bring herself to be terrified. Even her concern was quickly being overridden by a strange giddy feeling. It almost felt like she was three or four drinks in on one of Teela's ill-advised pub crawls. Which is not an activity she'd ever wanted to do with the fieflord of Nightshade... Kaylin was startled out this line of thought by an uncharacteristic snort from said fieflord. She glanced at him to find his cheeks were slightly flushed under the yellow powder and his eyes were sparkling and dilated. _I really should be concerned_, she thought.

_Yes_, Nightshade thought back, with more than a little amusement. He reached out a hand, brushing his fingertips across his mark he'd placed on her cheek. Kaylin was sensing more from him than she normally would. She was already feeling unsteady but adding his sensations into the mix was like having her drunkenness mirrored back to her and amplifying it to a dizzying degree. She could feel him growing tipsy and thought perhaps that's why she could feel so many of his emotions.

"My control isn't what it normally would be." Nightshade said, almost regretfully.

"Neither is mine," Kaylin whispered back, reaching her hand up to touch his face. "Why are you so tall?"

Nightshade responded by tilting his head down and gently leaning his head into her palm. Kaylin felt a swirl of complicated emotions that was not her own. Regret, affection, desire, ancient grief and anger, things lost and things found all mixed into the complex Barrani Lord staring at her with eyes that said more than they should. She felt like she was drowning in the depth of his existence. It was intoxicating and terrifying. Some small part of her was whispering caution but that caution was quickly being thrown to the wind.

Apparently Nightshade was past the point of caution as well. Kaylin wrapped her arms around his neck as he brushed some of the pollen off her face. He gave up when the powder kept coming back like iron filings to a magnet. She sensed his intention to pick her up moments before he grabbed her waist and lifted. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she then moved her hands to cradle his face and tilted his head down so she could kiss the crown of his head. The pollen tasted sweet on her lips. It was potent and she immediately felt a rush that went straight to her head. She wasn't sure she could walk right now if she wanted to. If she did, she'd probably resemble one of those old drunks she'd arrested for public intoxication. She smiled like an idiot at the thought and moved to kiss the fieflord on the brow, then the outside corner of his eyelid. She felt the tickle of his lashes and let out a drunken giggle. Nightshade exhaled a shuddering breath then took the opportunity to kiss her on the lips, cutting her off mid-laugh. She could feel Nightshade having a similar rush as he tasted the pollen on her lips. His arms tightened around her as she wrapped her arms back around his neck, pulling each other closer.

"Kaylin," Nightshade murmured, having pulled away with monumental effort. "We're not ourselves. We should wash the pollen off before things go farther than you are ready for."

Kaylin felt a wave of disappointment but the little corner of her brain that still possessed reasonable thought knew he was right. Hells, he was right. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, her forehead against his neck.

"Mmkay," she mumbled. She felt him smile as he carried her effortlessly in the direction of the lagoon.


	9. Uncharted Waters Part 4

The smooth gait of the fieflord was soothing to the pollen drunk Kaylin as he carried her to the lagoon at the edge of the field. Although to be fair, Kaylin was getting the impression he was only slightly more sober than her. And it would take far more than a lack of sobriety to make a Barrani Lord unsteady on his feet. A drunk Barrani could and would make poor decisions, if Teela was any example, but he would do so gracefully. A tavern brawl became a thing of destructive beauty when a intoxicated Barrani was involved.

"Nightshade," Kaylin said, her voice soft and sleepy. She raised her head off his shoulder to look at him.

"Yes, Kaylin?"

"Have you ever been in a tavern brawl?"

Nightshade laughed, wild and electric. He pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. Kaylin's eyes fluttered closed and she dropped her head back down on his shoulder. She could feel another rush from the fieflord tasting the pollen on his lips.

"We were all young once," was his cryptic reply.

"What kind of answer is that?" She complained halfheartedly.

"The only one you're getting."

"You can put me down if you want. I can walk..."

"You can't even keep your head up, much less walk upright." He replied, amused. Kaylin sighed at the unfairness of it all. Never mind that he was right but part of her was a little embarrassed at the lack of dignity of being carried like a sleepy child.

_Do you think I view you as a child?_

Kaylin was about to answer yes before she peeked her eyes open and saw dangerous sky blue eyes glance down.

_By Barrani reckoning, yes, you would be considered unconscionably young. You would still be hidden away from the power plays and political games of your kin and their enemies. But, Chosen, as you like to remind everyone and often, you are an adult by mortal standards. Even so, you are marked by the weight of experience and responsibility just as you bear my mark. So long as you bear it, you are my responsibility and I am not overly burdened by carrying you. I do not resent it. _

Kaylin could feel the truth of his words hum through the bond of name and felt a weight behind them that she couldn't quite put words to. She felt herself drift in the quiet between them. The time passed at an indeterminable rate before she was startled awake by Nightshade coming to a halt. He set her down on a large boulder before removing his boots. He waded into the water, otherwise fully clothed, scattering fragrant blossoms in his wake. He paused, looked back, and held out a hand to her.

"Come," he quietly commanded. Kaylin would have been content to stay on the rock but he left no room for argument. She knew that he didn't trust the effects of the pollen but was offering her the semblance of choice to join him. She also knew it wasn't as much of a choice as he was likely to come and retrieve her if she took too long. She fumbled with her boots but after a few tries managed to remove them and all her knives. She took the fieflord's hand and let him lead her deeper into the lagoon. The water was as warm as bathwater and just as fragrant with the scent of exotic blossoms. She glanced behind them and saw tendrils of yellow streaming behind them, twisting in the eddies caused by their passage.

Nightshade led them deeper and deeper still until Kaylin was standing tiptoe. Out of curiosity, she dipped her head down and sipped from the water. It was sweeter by far than the pollen and warmed her from the inside out. Nightshade must've felt its effects secondhand as he glanced back at her in alarm.

"I feel it unwise to drink from these waters..."

Before he could finish his thought, Kaylin laughed and felt the sudden urge to sit down. Her legs gave way and she went under the surface of the water. There was tug on her arm as Nightshade pulled her back up to the surface. He hiked her back up, chest to chest, before brushing away the last bits of watery pollen from Kaylin's face. Kaylin wrapped her legs back around him and with a sweep of her hand splashed water into his face. Some must've gotten his mouth because she clearly felt an influx of sensations. He stumbled a little and she wrapped her arms around his neck to avoid tumbling back under the surface. He found his feet, tightening his hold onto her. Whatever the effects of the pollen, the water was ten times more potent.

Kaylin reached out a hand to brush off Nightshade's face, gently scrubbing yellow off his forehead, cheeks, nose, and jaw.

"We should leave the water," he whispered, feeling unsettled by her ministrations. "I feel the pollen may be the lesser of two dangers."

"Should we?" Kaylin replied, her voice full of unspoken questions.

"Yes, we are not ourselves..."

Kaylin cut him off by pressing her lips firmly against his. All thought of protest fell away as any inhibitions, Barrani or human, were erased by the pollen and the waters of the ancient lagoon.

"Kaylin," Nightshade murmured against her lips. "Erenne."


	10. Uncharted Waters Part 5

Thank you everyone for reading my sudden burst of posts! I've been sitting on the ARC of Cast in Wisdom for awhile and not being able to share it, of course, made me think about it alllllll the time. These tidbits are a direct result of all those thought bunnies bouncing around in my brain. Uncharted Waters has a couple more entries before I feel I've explored it to my own satisfaction. I've wished that the multi-world theory mentioned by Lord Sanabalis and the Arkon had been explored a little more but that may just be my Stargate fangirl coming out. So as a result I thought it would be interesting to have Kaylin explore at least a couple of the other worlds. But I will be wrapping up those "what ifs" soon. I have a few ideas floating around that will be set a little bit more "in universe". Thanks again for reading!

* * *

Something was not right. Kaylin struggled to wake up, to figure out what felt so wrong. Besides the hangover, of course. She couldn't quite recall what she did to earn a hangover to end all hangovers. She reached out a hand to pet her familiar, to reassure herself with his presence, but her hand met with... hair? Her eyes flew open and in the dim lighting saw a Barrani face too bloody close. Hells, what had happened? Before her brain could catch up to her panic and process who was in bed facing her, Kaylin struck a hand out wildly and made contact with his jaw. The Barrani grunted and grabbed her flailing arm by the wrist. She attempted to free herself by throwing herself backwards but only succeeded in tumbling out of what she could now tell was a very narrow bed. The Barrani hadn't released her arm so she was half dangling from his iron grip, half on a dirt floor, frantically trying to pry his hand off with her other hand. She had felt this dark and wild fear before when she was younger and in the grips of Barren, fief and Lord. Tears streamed down her face as she felt young and helpless again. All she wanted to do was run and run until her legs gave out.

"Kaylin, be still. Don't run. Be still!" She knew that voice, velvet on steel. He moved so he was sitting at the edge of the bed and grabbed her other arm. His grip was firm but not bruising.

"Peace, Kaylin. I will not harm you but I cannot have you run here." Her mind began catching up to her amid the panic and she could put a name to the face. Nightshade. She took a deep breath, held it, and let it out again. She closed her eyes and repeated the exercise until she felt the sharp edge of fear dull and move back to the recesses of her mind that she normally kept under lock and key. She opened her eyes and saw the low lying flames of a nearby fireplace play across the fieflord's face. His face was grim and exhausted, more exhausted than she'd ever seen a Barrani. Using his grip on her arms as leverage she pulled herself into a sitting position. He must've felt her urge to run pass and so released his hold on her as soon as she was sitting up.

Very slowly and deliberately, Nightshade got up and made his way over the fire. One benefit of the bond of name was that Kaylin didn't have to explain the fear, or her past with all the dark things that lived there. He already knew. And he was giving her space to collect herself, to breathe.

Kaylin blushed when she realized he was shirtless, his upper half was clothed only in his long, black hair that reached past the waistband of his pants. He added a log to the fire before turning halfway towards her and looked pointedly at her. She glanced down and saw she was wearing nothing but the fieflord's tunic. Thankfully, it was several sizes too large and covered everything important but the implications were almost more than she could process at the moment.

"What..." She paused, afraid of the answer. "What happened? How did we get here?" She gestured to the cabin around them.

"I am not completely certain and I find that disturbing. I am Barrani. It is not in our nature to forget. I do not sense anyone nearby, however, and I think it likely we found this cabin ourselves in our stupor."

"I can remember up until the lagoon and then things get really hazy." Kaylin blushed at the memory of kissing Nightshade. Repeatedly. She cursed the pollen, the lagoon, and this foreign world for good measure. She picked herself off the floor and dusted the dirt off the expensive fabric of Nightshade's tunic before sitting on the edge of the bed. It creaked like it was held together with a hope and a prayer. Odd that she didn't notice that before but she supposed blind panic will do that to a person. Make them not notice small things like that. Or things like the blankets that were made from the hide of an animal different than any she'd seen and the rain pattering on a roof that surprisingly wasn't leaking. Lightning flashed through the small gaps of the well-weathered walls, followed by thunder rattling the rickety shutters. That must've just started as Kaylin figured she wouldn't have missed thunder that loud, no matter the reason. She found the clash and clamor soothing in an odd sort of way.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked down and couldn't help but think how angry Severn was going to be. And Annarion... He was only just starting to come to terms with his brother and this, whatever exactly this was, would likely send him in a righteous fury. Kaylin felt gentle fingers tilt her chin up.

"I will worry about Annarion. And Severn is your partner, not your keeper." He watched her for a second before adding, "It will storm for some time yet. Try to get some more sleep. We will worry about getting home in the morning."

Kaylin knew he was right. She did feel exhausted and could feel the same from him. She pulled the covers back and crawled to the far side of the bed so her back could be against the wall. She faced a moment of indecision but when she spotted the small bruise on Nightshade's jaw from her flailing, the guilt decided for her in the end.

"You're exhausted too. You can lay back down if you want. There's only the one bed and I don't think I'll wake up fighting again, now that I know you're there."

Nightshade studied her face a moment, as if gauging if she was truly ok with him laying back down with her. He must've seen and felt the truth of her words, along with the truth she didn't know how to speak. She couldn't bring herself to be so vulnerable as to tell him she needed someone there to keep away the monsters in the darkest parts of her memories. But he knew. And so he lay back down, a barrier between her and the door, and all the things that lurked in the shadows.

She reached a hand out and lightly touched the bruise on his jaw.

"I'm sorry..."

Instead of replying, he wrapped her in his arms and tucked her close to his chest. She felt his chin rest on her head and he murmured one word into her hair.

"Sleep."

And so she did, better than she had in a long time.


	11. Uncharted Waters Part 6

A/N: Thanks for waiting patiently guys! I have a couple more entries in this series and then on to other Nightlin fun! Coming up, I plan on doing a one shot or a couple entries from Nightshade's perspective. Also, if anyone has any requests for encounters they have or scenarios they want written out, let me know and I'll pick a few and try to get to them in a timely manner. I only ask for no explicit scene requests :)

* * *

The fieflord looked peaceful when he was sleeping. Kaylin was staring at Nightshade's face in the soft and dim morning light, and found the expression disarming. It's not often she'd seen a Barrani sleep. To mortals like Kaylin, sleep was a necessity. Immortals sleep when they're bored. Or dying. As far as Kaylin could tell, Nightshade was neither bored or on death's door but he slept as if he hadn't slept in decades. Maybe he hadn't, she supposed. The life of an outcast fieflord wasn't a safe one. It probably wasn't a life very conducive to a restful night's sleep. Her life had never been particularly safe either and her nights were still marred by nightmares. If given the choice, she'd probably forgo sleep just to avoid the bad dreams that lurked there. She wondered, not for the first time, if Barrani had nightmares. If, perhaps, the fieflord ever dreamed of the things he'd endured.

For the longest time, in her mind, Nightshade had been the embodiment of all her childhood fears. He had been the living nightmare sitting safe in his castle, far from the ferals, the hunger, and the desperate struggle to survive. He was death and he dealt death liberally to those who lived in his fief. He may have not gone on murder sprees but the death he dealt was apathy. He did not hunt the ferals or guard against them. He did not feed, clothe, or house even his most vulnerable of citizens, the children who had nothing and no one. And she had been a child of his fief, barely surviving and finding some small comfort in the family she had made for herself there.

But then Severn had done what he did to Steffi and Jade and had hurt her worse than all the nightmares and suffering she that had previously blamed on Nightshade. So she had run from Severn and the fief of her birth to fief of Barren, whose lord had left her with nightmares of a different sort. The kind of nightmares that had caused her to lash out in visceral, consuming terror at the thought of someone unknown in her bed. But it had been Nightshade last night, not a stranger, not Barren. Somewhere along the way she had stopped thinking of him as a nightmare and more as a person, long lived, complicated, and changed by the losses he'd suffered. She knew now that far worse than Nightshade existed in the world even if he'd done his fair share of horrible things. If she was being honest with herself, she had also done the unforgivable and somehow gotten a second chance to be better, to DO better.

Compassion had never been her instinctive response when looking at Nightshade but he had surrendered his ideals, his titles, his place amongst his people just to save his brother. That motive she could understand for there was very little she wouldn't have surrendered to save Jade and Steffi. There was very little she hadn't surrendered or had taken from her in the wake of their loss. In this place, in this moment, she could understand why he was the way he was. She felt the desire to see if, given the chance, he would also choose to be better than who he had become in the aftermath of losing Annarion to the heart of the green. If regaining the brother he'd lost could be a catalyst for change and a return to long lost ideals. She was glad, in this moment, that he was asleep. Barrani weren't fond of compassion being directed towards them. To them it implied pity. And to be pitied was never something to be desired. But as she watched him sleep, his body an immovable barrier between her and the unknown world outside this cabin, it was compassion that kept her from moving and jostling him awake from what seemed to be a rare, restful sleep. He had suffered as she had but for centuries, undiminished by the passage of time.

She tried to tell herself that this was the only reason she didn't move away from him but she wasn't completely successful. A part of her didn't want to move. He had held her in the face of memories still too painful for her to dwell on for long. And she'd let him, without fear, because he did it without expectation. Even though she suspected they did far more than either had intended under the influence of the pollen and the waters of the lagoon, she couldn't remember it and she knew he didn't either. But something had changed between them in this place, so very far from home.

If they had been home, they probably would never be found in this position. They lay facing each other, legs tangled, with the hides that served as blankets drawn over them both. Kaylin was using one of his arms as a pillow while his other arm was wrapped tightly around her, clutching the back of the tunic she wore like he was afraid he'd otherwise lose her while he slept. It was his tunic she was wearing to be precise. She had no idea where her own clothes were. She cursed the pollen for what felt like the hundredth time. What kind of flower made human and Barrani alike so intoxicated that they lost all self control and most of their memories of doing so? To hells with this world and everything in it, she thought vehemently.

Her breath caught as Nightshade shifted a little. She drew up the covers a little bit farther so it covered more of his torso. He settled and she let out the breath she had been holding. She tucked her arms close in the small space between their chests, out of the cold morning air and closed her eyes. Pressing one of her palms over his heart, she tried to think of ways to escape this strange world. As she debated their options, the rise and fall of his chest and the feel of his heartbeat under her fingertips pulled her out of the heaviness of her thoughts and lulled her into drowsiness. She felt... safe. She drifted slowly back asleep but before she completely surrendered to the pull of exhaustion, she thought she felt a brush of lips on top of her head and the subtle tightening of the grip he had on the tunic she wore.

* * *

_Kaylin_... A voice whispered at a great remove, piercing her dreams like sharpened steel. She slowly cracked her eyes open, still feeling like a survivor of the most ill-advised pub crawl in the history of pub crawls but perhaps a little less exhausted than she had been. The owner of the voice was nowhere in sight.

_I am outside the cabin._

Kaylin stretched and rolled over, which in hindsight she should've taken note of how close the edge of the bed was. She tumbled to the ground for the second time. She didn't even have the excuse of blind panic this time around. Fortunately, the bed was only a couple feet off of the dirt floor of the cabin. The last thing she wanted was to add bruising to the hangover from hell. She picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off. She probably wouldn't have bothered if she'd been wearing her own clothes. The fieflord's tunic was made of a fine material she probably couldn't afford. She inspected the sleeves that were a little bit too long. There was gold embroidery on the edges. She glanced down to the bottom hem that was almost to her ankles. She would've described the tunic as almost modest was it not for the thigh high slits on either side. When the tunic was being worn by the person it was made for, the slits came just above his hips. Presumably it was designed for ease of movement. She squinted her eyes and looked closer at the hem. Ah yes, there was gold trim on the bottom hem too. Definitely cost more then she could ever afford. She didn't want to return it covered in grime. Not that she could return it until she found her own clothes. Deserted world or not, she drew the line at running around stark naked.

_You can keep the tunic but if you must inspect it, perhaps you could do so at a later time?_ Nightshade thought with just a hint of impatience. She could sense the sharp edge of curiosity, his desire to explore and find a way home. She also could tell he wanted to keep her where he could see her, otherwise he would have left her here.

Kaylin left the cabin to find Nightshade waiting with crossed arms. _Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed._ Nightshade raised a brow, obviously overhearing the thought, the corners of his lips twitching almost imperceptibly.

"I don't suppose you know where our boots are?" Kaylin asked, looking pointedly at the fieflord's bare feet and then to her own toes peeking out of the bottom of the tunic.

"I would have to assume they are with your clothing but as we were both exceptionally intoxicated, in mortal parlance, it's anyone's guess."

Kaylin blushed a little at the reminder that at some point she had been naked... with Nightshade. And they now only had one set of clothes to share between them. She was ridiculously thankful he'd given her his tunic. She was even more thankful they hadn't both misplaced their clothes. She probably would've died of sheer mortification.

"I doubt very much that you would perish from embarrassment. I, however, would face the very real possibility of death if I returned you to Helen unclothed. If my brother didn't strangle me, Teela would. Corporal Handred will most likely wish me bodily harm no matter what state I return you in." Nightshade said, his tone laced with dark humor. He didn't wait for her to respond before heading away from the cabin. Kaylin trotted after him, trying to take in the scenery around them while also trying to keep up with the fieflord.

The cabin from the exterior looked very much like a stiff breeze would knock it over. Kaylin wondered briefly how it had withstood the storm last night before she spotted Nightshade's magical signature all over the building. He must've sealed them in with his magic. She should've known he wouldn't have fallen asleep in anyplace that was less than secure. The cabin was nestled amidst unfamiliar trees and overgrown weeds. It had the air of a place that had long been untouched. She wondered how they had managed to find this in their drunken escapades and wished again that she could remember whatever the hells they did. The lagoon and those cursed yellow flowers were nowhere in sight. She had no idea how to find the lagoon again, seeing as she wasn't the best navigator in her own city, much less another world. She'd have to trust that Nightshade knew where he was going and hope that they could keep their heads on straight when they got there. Her clothes had better be at the lagoon because Nightshade was right about one thing, if she returned home in his tunic and little else, all hells would broke loose in the form of dragon fire, angry Barrani, and a livid human Corporal.

If they could find a way home, that is. And soon.


	12. Uncharted Waters Part 7

Kaylin wasn't the most graceful person when it came to most things but when it came to walking barefoot through a strange forest in the wake of a slightly cranky fieflord, she was a mess. If he could be considered cranky, she was also definitely "in a mood". She was hungry, thirsty, and more than a little hungover and none of that equaled a pleasant morning on a normal day. Kaylin noted that the fieflord was barefoot and he didn't so much as make a sound when he walked. The lack of shoes didn't seem to phase him in the least. She grumbled as she tripped over yet another fallen tree branch. At the pace Nightshade was setting, she didn't have time to stop long enough to look but she was fairly certain her feet were a mess of scratches and scrapes.

"Watch your step through here. There appears to be sharp rocks scattered throughout the fallen leaves." Nightshade warned, as he slowed his pace. Kaylin was careful to step where his feet left a trail across the dirt and leaves. It was challenging since he had a longer stride but it was better than a shard of rock embedded in her foot. She was so focused on picking her way across the forest floor that she didn't notice that the fieflord had come to a stop until she barreled into his back. She took a large, involuntary step back to steady herself. She gasped when she felt something sharp slice through the arch of her foot. Grasping Nightshade's shoulder to avoid falling, she stood frozen a moment in shock and pain. She took a steadying breath before bowing her head, leaning her weight forward, off the offending foot. She grabbed his other shoulder and pressed her forehead into the fieflord's back. Clinging to him, she wanted to either cry or yell Leontine curses at the top of her lungs, but she could feel Nightshade urging her to be as quiet as possible. She snuck a quick peak through his eyes to see what had caused his concern. There was a strange, catlike creature some distance ahead with some very impressive fangs and claws, lounging in a patch of sun that had escaped through a break in the tree canopy. It appeared to be asleep and was cute in a deadly sort of way but Kaylin could understand Nightshade's desire to avoid it.

_We will go around it but I will need to carry you. You are injured. Even so, your stumbling through the woods would wake even the dead. _

Kaylin nodded her assent against his back where her head was pressed. She balanced on her uninjured foot, and straightened so he could turn. He frowned at the sight of the blood dripping from her foot.

_Hold still_, he commanded. He crouched down to her foot and gently grabbed her ankle. She pressed a hand back against his shoulder so she wouldn't topple over while he inspected the wound. Her marks began to ache as he summoned his magic. He trailed a finger across her foot, leaving it numb. Kaylin could see a faint glow surround her foot and noted her blood had stopped dripping to the ground.

_I can't heal you. Such is beyond my capabilities but it is a containment. It will keep you from leaving a convenient trail for predators to follow._ He stood up while he was speaking through their bond and effortlessly swung her up into his arms.

_It's not like I'm bleeding on purpose..._

_No_. Great, he was amused. _But Kaylin, I had been stopped for some time when you ran into me. Had you paid greater attention to your surroundings, you would not now be injured. No, do not sulk. Simply learn to pay attention. It is not meant as criticism but advice. I would not see you hurt worse or killed because you are lost in thought._

Kaylin let out a great sigh which amused the fieflord even more. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.

_Next you'll be telling me to not run with sharp objects or I'll poke an eye out. _

_In your case, you most assuredly should not run with sharp objects._ And now he was teasing. She could see his lips twitching at the corners. He glanced down at her face. His internal laughter was like a warm rush through the bond. _Do not arrange your face in such a manner. I fear it will get stuck that way._

If he had been Teela or Severn she would have slugged him in the arm but since he was carrying her she settled on glaring at him. It was the safer bet anyway. One doesn't go around hitting Barrani Lords, Teela notwithstanding. She tried to not feel resentful that she had to be hauled around like a sack of potatoes the last couple days. Which launched her into another round of internal cursing at the pollen, the lagoon, and now random razor sharp rocks in this neverending forest. Just how much did she forget about yesterday? Somehow she got from the lagoon to the cabin and she didn't recall anything that remotely involved a forest.

_Look_, the fieflord said in the quiet between them.

She caught the edge of memory that wasn't hers. The image wasn't clear. It was fuzzy, like watching through smudged glass. His thoughts and sensations in the memory were more than she normally felt from him. She realized this was because Nightshade had also been extremely drunk. The thought of the normally composed Barrani Lord inebriated was amusing. Pressing in, she watched.

_Kaylin was running in these very woods, shrieking. Was she scared? No, she was laughing, throwing glances over her shoulder to see if he was following. Seeing him there, she ran faster but Nightshade was gaining on her and quickly overtook her. He grabbed and lifted her from behind with an arm around her waist and swung her around. He pressed a hand against her mouth and leaned down to whisper in her ear.__"Quiet, Kaylin."__He glanced over his shoulder at the eyes glowing in the distance. Kaylin had been running right towards it, in her playful attempt to explore. He was unnerved by the thought and knew also he was still highly intoxicated. He had no desire to tangle with the local wildlife in his current state, especially with Kaylin to consider. She was defenseless at the moment. She would most likely run headlong into further danger if he took his eyes off of her. She'd fallen quiet but she was wriggling against his hold and pouting into his hand that was still over her mouth. He looked around and spotted what appeared to be a dilapidated cabin in the distance, away from the glowing eyes, and began herding a wobbly Kaylin in its direction. _

Kaylin blinked a few times when Nightshade shut her out from the memory. She understood that he allowed her to see as much as she did and couldn't help but wonder if he remembered exactly what had happened in the lagoon.

_No, Kaylin. That is the first thing I can recall after we first entered the waters. _

She could sense the truth of his words and also the unease that underscored them. He was disturbed and unsettled which did nothing for her own anxiety over the situation.

_Nightshade_...

_Yes. I share your concern._

_Shouldn't Hope have found us by now? You don't think he's run into trouble getting Annarion and Mandoran back do you? _Kaylin regretted bringing up Annarion when she felt Nightshade take a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was a hint of fear wrapped around his unease.

_That is one of my concerns, yes. But there is very little we can do from here besides worry. Come,_ he changed the subject, _we are nearing the lagoon. Perhaps we will locate your clothing there. _

He just had to bring that up. So far she'd managed to not think about the fact she was wearing his tunic. Only his tunic. Kaylin covered her face with one of her hands, futilely trying to hide her embarrassment. He could feel it anyway and his unease shifted into amusement. His quiet chuckle rumbled between them. She glared balefully at him between her fingers and he smiled back, unconcerned.


	13. Uncharted Waters Part 8

Kaylin hated waiting. Nightshade had deposited her on a large boulder that kissed the edge of the lagoon. The boulder was weather worn but to her inexperienced eye it looked to be part of the remains of a long abandoned building. She dipped her good foot into the water, enjoying the warmth. Blossoms dipped and swirled around the surface as she moved her foot around. A cool breeze stirred around her and sent little ripples across the water. It really was a picturesque scene. She supposed there were worse places to wait for the fieflord to return. She could see him make his way around the magical waters, attempting to find their belongings that had gotten left behind. He wove around trees and ruins with a grace and efficiency that Kaylin couldn't even dream of matching.

She pulled her gaze away from him, knowing she should take a look at her foot. She drew her foot up and inspected the bottom. The cut was nasty looking but appeared to have nothing embedded in it. She rarely healed herself but she couldn't rely on Nightshade hauling her around everywhere, not that he seemed to mind. Her marks glowing, she focused her power on her foot. It was always a strange and uncomfortable sensation, the feeling of muscle and skin stitching back together. When she was finished she inspected her foot again. Satisfied with the results, she put that foot in the water as well. The warm water felt nice on her newly healed skin.

She was enjoying running her feet through the water when she was startled out of her reverie by the snapping of a twig behind her. She jerked around to see what was there but all she saw was a blur rushing towards her, slapping something on her wrist, and then shoving her into the water. It happened so quickly that there was no time to react or even close her mouth and so she swallowed a large amount of the water. As she struggled to the surface she felt the uncomfortably familiar rush of the magical water, stronger than any alcohol back in Elantra. After what felt like forever, her head breached the surface. Gasping and sputtering, she looked around wildly for whatever it was that pushed her in. Her eyes were already struggling to focus but she saw nothing, not even Nightshade.

_Kaylin, what has happened?_

_I was_... Kaylin was startled out of responding by something grabbing her by the ankle, dragging her back under the surface. She kicked against whatever held her but its grip was firm and it was dragging her far deeper than she ever expected the lagoon to be. She tried calling on her magic but none of it responded. Fear, wild and desperate, threatened to overtake her as she struggled. No matter how desperately she fought against its hold, it dragged her ever deeper. Her lungs burned, starved of oxygen. She felt herself growing weaker and slower in her struggle. On the edge of unconsciousness, she was dragged by her ankle out of the water and dropped unceremoniously onto what felt like water-worn rock.

Heaving, coughing, and gasping for air, she fought to open her eyes. Blinking the water from them, she saw it wasn't a thing that captured her, it was a man. One that resembled a Barrani if Barrani were blond and had tanned skin. They were in a cavern, lit by luminescent rocks scattered around. She scrambled to her feet and away from the stranger but he was far faster than she was. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her towards him. He bent his head to inspect her marks that were peaking out of the sleeve of her tunic. Her reflexes were dulled by the effects of the water but in his distracted fascination she managed to slam her forehead against his nose. She felt it break and tried to follow it up with punch to his throat with her free hand but before she could, he backhanded her across the face so hard she saw stars. Her legs gave out and he released her wrist. She tried to scramble away but he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back to the water. He forced her head under the surface and held her there by his iron grip until she started passing out. As she went limp, he dragged her out and farther into the cavern. She was numb, so numb.

_Nightshade! Nightshade... Nightshade... Calarnenne_... She cried out, begging for him to listen, to come. He didn't respond with words. He was beyond that. She felt the depths of his fury and knew he was coming. Her attacker had signed his death warrant the second he'd layed a hand on her. She just needed to hold on a little while longer.


	14. Uncharted Waters Part 9

After dragging her some distance away from the cavern entrance, Kaylin's kidnapper abruptly released her. In sharp contrast to the waters of the lagoon, the cavern was cold. So very cold. Kaylin lay a moment on the cavern floor, shaking and shivering. When he made no move towards her, Kaylin pried herself off the floor. Moving was hard. Her sensations felt muted as the water worked its way through her system. It was a blessing in a way. The pain she was in was dulled along with everything else but her limbs felt like lead. She braced a hand against the cavern wall as she stood. It was then that she saw what he'd placed on her wrist. It was a cuff that looked suspiciously like her bracer. He had fought dirty, containing her magic. It was wise, as far as a madman could be considered wise. Had she not been contained, he'd be a pile of ash on the ground.

The madman, impatient with her slow progress, grabbed her wrist again and yanked her towards him. Despite her fear, Kaylin felt a quick surge of satisfaction at the sight of his bloodied face. She really had done a number on his nose.

"Have you ceased your fighting?" He spat his words out, spraying blood as he spoke.

Kaylin started at the sound of his voice, her eyes growing wide in surprise at being able to understand him. He noted her shock, his face twisting into a malicious smirk.

"I am a Traveler and was the Voice of my people. It is my gifting that allows us to speak and be understood." His voice hardened. "Are you done with your futile struggle?"

Kaylin nodded, the room spinning as she did so. Drunk and alone was never a good combination in the presence of a madman. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts enough to distract him until Nightshade came.

"What do you want?" Her voice slurring the words.

"You, of course. I saw you at edge of the Waters of Life and I knew then that you are mine. I want you. I will have you. I have been alone on this world for untold years after the Devourer destroyed my own world and everything in it. I begged the Ancients to hear the cries of my lost people and help me resurrect them from the abyss. And so here you are, the Chosen. The Old Ones have gifted me you and we will remake this world into what was lost with the words of power you bear." His voice grew lower as he trailed a finger down her unmarked cheek. She struggled not to vomit. His finger paused and he swiped it across her lip. It stung. He must've split her lip when he backhanded her. His grin was maniacal as he inspected her blood on his finger. He then pushed up her sleeve and stared at her marks. His grin morphed into something darker and predatory. He grasped her chin and frowned at her marked cheek.

"This mark is not is one of the Chosen."

"No," she replied, glancing over his shoulder and smiling as she did so because as he spoke, death rose from the water in the form of a livid Barrani Lord. The man who had placed that particular mark on her cheek pulled himself out of the water and onto the cavern floor, silent as a ghost. He stalked towards them, his feet making no sound. The promise of retribution was written across his face as he summoned a sword of pure magic. Kaylin averted her eyes in feigned deference so her attacker would not see Nightshade reflected there as the madman continued inspecting her face.

Almost faster than she could see, Nightshade swung the sword, severing both of the man's hamstrings. He dismissed the sword and caught the man as he fell by the hair and with a hand on his throat. Her attacker's eyes bulged as Nightshade viciously yanked his head almost to the point of breaking his neck and squeezed the man's throat with his other hand. The man grabbed Nightshade's wrist with both hands, trying to pry it from his throat to no avail.

"He has hurt you." This wasn't a question. Nightshade already knew that the man had done so. It was more like a pronouncement, a declaration of the charges at an execution. Because that was what this was. There would be no mercy shown here, no clemency, no appeals that could sway him. She'd never seen the fieflord so angry. She nodded, her attack replaying in her mind. She couldn't stop the flow of panicked, fragmented memory. She could feel the burning of her lungs as she nearly drowned, the pain of the blow across her face, her helplessness as he dragged her around like she weighed nothing. The only good thing was Nightshade's arrival before the man could do worse than merely hit her.

Nightshade's eyes shaded from martial blue to a shade just shy of black as he was pulled along her memories with her. His fingers were white and bloodless as they tightened on the man's throat. The man gurgled, his eyes growing bloodshot. Nightshade's eyes fell to the cuff on Kaylin's arm and relaxed his grip on the man's throat. He desperately gasped for air, looking relieved at the momentary reprieve.

"I will tear out your throat if you do not release the containment you have placed on her." Nightshade's voice was terrifyingly calm, despite his simmering rage.

"She's mine..." the madman tried arguing before Nightshade cut him off by tightening his hold on his throat once more. The man reached desperately for Kaylin's arm and waved a hand over the cuff, releasing her magic from its grips. It fell away with a clank on the rocky ground. Nightshade lowered his head to whisper in the man's ear. His voice was almost intimate if one's chosen consort was death.

"She is not _yours_." The man whimpered as Nightshade tightened his grip. He struggled against the fieflord's hold but his legs were useless and bleeding profusely onto the ground below. "You were dead the moment you touched her."

_Close your eyes_. The fieflord's inner voice left no room for argument. Kaylin closed them and heard a sharp cry, cut off abruptly by the unmistakable sound of a neck breaking followed by the thud of a body hitting the cavern floor. She flinched when she felt hands grasp her upper arms.

"It is me, Kaylin." Nightshade turned her away from the scene while she kept her eyes firmly shut. She had seen death. She had killed but she felt oddly vulnerable in this place, as if this death would hurt her, a reminder than she'd almost been the one dead on the ground. It shouldn't hurt her. But nothing made sense right now. She understood Nightshade's reasons, agreed with them even and despite her mental haze a part of her was grateful he didn't want her watch the life leave her attacker's eyes at his hands. But it was those hands that saved her, and now guided her to safety while she stumbled and weaved. She struggled to form coherent thought but she felt that he was, in this foreign world, her safety. It wasn't a place he could lead her because she was already safe wherever he was. She felt him urge her to open her eyes and saw that they had reached the watery entrance of the cave. She didn't want to swim, she wanted to lay down and sleep and forget all that had happened. He turned her to face him and picked her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, clinging to him with whatever strength she could muster. She dared one single glance behind him and caught a glimpse of a limp arm and long blond hair on the ground before hiding her face against his neck.

"Do not let go. Take a deep breath and hold it. I will not lose you now." Nightshade said, the gentleness of his voice softening the command. Once he was certain of her hold he dove into the water. Less contested, their return to the surface was faster than her descent but time was quickly growing to have no meaning to her as the effects of the water completely took over.


	15. Uncharted Waters Part 10

"Generally, following is usually done from behind." Kaylin complained, tossing a look over her shoulder at the fieflord trailing closely behind her. "I have no idea where we are going."

"Yes. However, given recent events, I fully intend to keep you where I can see you. A little to the left, if you please. You may, of course, continue on your current path if you have a pressing desire to walk into a spider's web."

"See!" Kaylin tossed her hands up in exasperation. She squinted her eyes as she adjusted her course and sure enough, a gossamer thin spider web stretched between the two trees she'd been heading towards. "This is why I should be following _behind_ you. If it would make you feel any better, we could find something that would serve as a rope and tie me to you like one of Marrin's foundlings."

"While the thought has some appeal, given you habitually careen wildly into dangerous situations, I have yet to see anything that would serve as rope."

"It's not like I mean to get into trouble. Trouble sort of just... stumbles into me. Speaking of which, what happened after we left the lagoon yesterday?" Kaylin paused a moment and when it became clear Nightshade wasn't going to answer, she pointed to a nearby tree. "What about that vine right there? It might work as a rope in a pinch"

"That, Kaylin, is a snake." Nightshade chuckled.

Kaylin yelped as she saw the "vine" slither down the tree into the thick ground cover of the forest floor. It would be just her luck that the snake was venomous. She turned to run the opposite direction but Nightshade was closer than she anticipated. She ran right into him, bouncing off his chest. She would've fallen butt first on the ground but he caught her by her upper arms. His chuckling gave way to outright laughter, musical and unrestrained. She stared at him, momentarily caught off guard until she felt something distinctly scaly slide over her foot.

"Oh hells no!" She yelled, adding some choice Leontine. Nightshade swung her up in his arms before she could take off in a run back to the relative safety of the cabin. He stepped over the snake and continued walking with Kaylin in his arms.

"I don't see the snake anymore. You can put me down now..."

"I could do so but I fear at the pace you were setting, you would succumb to old age before we reached our destination. I am also aware of the pain you are trying, and failing, to conceal." He said, his tone dry. "Regardless, I would have thought you would be pleased. There are more of your "vines" ahead. There appears to be some large arachnids as well."

"Um nope... this is good." Kaylin squeezed her eyes shut, deciding that arguing over how fast she had been walking wasn't in her best interests at the moment. "Let me know when they're gone."

Kaylin desperately needed something, anything to take her mind off this world's creepy wildlife. She spat out the first thing that came to mind.

"Why won't you talk about our return from the lagoon? I don't remember much after you killed the guy. I just remember everything before that." Kaylin stopped, her throat inexplicably tight, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. As far as subject changes go, it was a rather poor choice. She felt like kicking herself. It was one thing to ask about what happened afterwards but her experience with the Traveler was not one she cared to think about. It was too fresh. Nightshade was correct about one thing; she still ached from being tossed and dragged around. While she tried to wrestle her thoughts back under control, she ran her fingers over her split lip. It was still swollen and tender.

"It was comparatively uneventful. It is hardly worth even mentioning."

"I didn't do anything weird? According to Teela, I jumped on a table at the pub once and sang at the top of my lungs until the neighborhood dogs started howling. And considering what happened last time we were in the lagoon..."

"You did not, as you say, do anything weird. You also managed to retain your clothing this time." Nightshade glanced meaningfully at the tunic she wore, which technically belonged to him. She sighed heavily at the reminder. At least he was amused...

"How much farther until we reach that apple tree you saw?" Kaylin asked, desperately changing the subject to something safer. Her stomach growled loudly at the thought of food. The pollen and the water had dulled her hunger somewhat over the last couple days but now it was rearing its ugly head, demanding to be heard. Literally. It was another reason she'd been walking so slowly; the lack of food was making her lightheaded.

"Not far."

"Good." Kaylin peeked an eye open just in time to see a spider the size of a dinner plate skitter across the forest floor. She was proud of herself; she didn't scream. She did, however, tighten her arms around Nightshade's neck. If she could climb any higher off the ground, she would have.

"Kaylin... I fail to understand how you can not only interact with Arbiter Starrante but heal him through direct physical contact and then proceed to nearly strangle me at the mere sight of a comparatively smaller arachnid." He said wryly.

"That's not the same at all!" Kaylin cried in indignation, marginally loosening her hold on his neck. "First off, I don't think I'm capable of successfully strangling you.

Secondly, Starrante was a person, sort of, just with extra eyes and legs. Besides, he needed our help and I couldn't give that help without being near him. Nothing about the spider we just saw was small. It would probably eat my face off given a chance. And unless it suddenly starts speaking and telling me lives depend on me being near it, I will keep my distance, thank you very much."

"...I see." Nightshade replied after a momentary pause. He was enjoying this, wasn't he? Kaylin glared at the side of his face. She thought she spotted his lips twitch. He was in an oddly good mood. It was almost concerning. No... Scratch that, it _was_ concerning. This world had screwed with them since day one. Kaylin wondered if it was starting to affect them in less obvious ways. They both had been acting a little out of the norm but she had just chalked that up to them both being a little out of their element.

All serious thought flew from her head when she saw the apple tree just ahead. She nearly tumbled from Nightshade's arms in her haste to get to the tree. Her mouth was watering at the sight of so many to choose from. She ran full tilt the rest of the way, almost colliding with the trunk as she skidded to a stop underneath heavily laden branches. She ignored the stinging of her bare feet from sliding across roots and detritus, plucking a huge apple, or what looked to be very similar to an apple. She was inches away from taking a massive bite when it flew from her grip into the hands of the fieflord.

"Hey, get your own!" She protested. She was aiming for angry but there was a distinct whimper in her voice, like a sad puppy. Intimidating, she was not. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kick him or cry over him ripping the first food she'd seen in days from her hands.

"I understand that you are hungry, and it is not my intention to starve you after going through the effort of bringing you here. But consider a moment the effects of the pollen and the waters of the lagoon. I will return your fruit but first I will test it. If there are ill effects, it is less likely to cause me harm."

"How exactly do you plan on testing it?"

Nightshade raised a brow and took a graceful bite out of the fruit.

"That one is yours now..." Kaylin crossed her arms, impatiently waiting to see if they were safe to eat. She was _almost_ hungry enough to eat one regardless of safety.

_Patience, Kaylin._

_I don't mean to sound ungrateful but it's almost painful watching you eat and having to wait. Are you feeling anything? _Kaylin couldn't feel any second-hand rushes like she had with the pollen or the magical water but he'd always been better than her at maintaining privacy over the bond. Her thoughts strayed briefly to their first day here. Cheeks warming at the memory, she forced her thoughts away but apparently not fast enough. Instead of immediately answering the question, Nightshade took another bite while closing the distance between them. He was amused at her discomfort. Coming to a stop inches away from her, he met her gaze and held it. Kaylin suddenly found it hard to breathe. Nightshade slowly reached over Kaylin's head with his free hand and plucked an apple that was just out of her reach.

_It is safe to eat. I believe if An'Teela were here, she would remind you to chew before swallowing. It is good advice._ He handed her the apple he'd just picked. She was ridiculously happy to see that it was even larger than the one he'd taken from her. His nearness momentarily forgotten, she bit into the apple, nearly crying in relief at the sweetness of it. Kaylin ate it in seconds, leaving her hands a sticky mess. Nightshade smiled a little before handing her another one.

"Thanks." She said between bites, eating this one marginally slower as the pain of her split lip started catching up to her. He inclined his head in acknowledgement before brushing some of her hair out of her face; his fingers trailing across his mark.

"Eat. I will gather some to bring back with us."

Eight apples later, Kaylin was leaning against the tree and holding her stomach. Letting out a small groan, she regretted eating so much, so quickly. She bent over, hands on her knees, breathing through the nausea. A few deep breaths later and the desire to vomit passed, for which Kaylin was thankful. Things never tasted as good coming back up...

Nightshade had picked a decent size pile of apples by the time Kaylin was done. She debated how they were going to carry them all. She thought she could carry some in the front flap of the tunic like she'd seen some women do in their gardens with their aprons but that would require flashing a lot of leg. She glanced at Nightshade, debating her options. On one hand, he had already seen way more than her legs on this trip. On the other, they'd been drunk and his memory of it wasn't any clearer than hers. They weren't drunk now. Just as she decided that survival outweighed embarrassment, Nightshade spoke a sharp command. Kaylin's skin hurt from his use of magic as the apples rose into the air, lazily swirling above his outstretched hand.

"Well that works..." She said, eyeballing the floating fruit. She'd gladly endure the discomfort magic caused if it meant not having to carry dozens of apples.

The walk back to the cabin was quick. Nightshade had carried her past the nasties again and managed to do so while still levitating the fruit. Kaylin couldn't help but be a little jealous of his ability to multitask. As she helped pile the apple neatly on the rickety table tucked away in the corner of their cabin, she decided that if they got back she'd start her magic lessons again. No... When they got back. Kaylin didn't want to even consider the possibility they wouldn't. Nightshade met her eyes, pausing from his work with the apples.

"We will get back, won't we?" Kaylin asked uncertainly.

"I do not know." He paused, took a deep breath and cupped her unmarked cheek. She leaned her head into his hand, taking comfort from the gesture. "It has only been a few days. I would not discount a rescue yet or the possibility that you yourself are capable of opening a portal home."

Kaylin placed a hand over his for a moment, feeling his unease. She sighed and then pulled away. The apples weren't going to stack themselves.


	16. Uncharted Waters Part 11

Nightshade apparently didn't believe in sitting around the cabin, twiddling his thumbs. The moment the apples were stacked on the table he herded Kaylin back out the door, citing a need to locate water of a more mundane nature. To be fair, Kaylin agreed but thought it would've been nice to sit down for a few minutes. It was fortunate that Nightshade was at ease in the forest. He found multiple tracks leading in the same direction and began following them. It was some time before they could hear the sounds of rushing water but hearing it, Kaylin realized just how thirsty she was and picked up the pace.

Eventually, Nightshade and Kaylin stood side by side, looking at the pool of water in front of them. It was of a size with the lagoon but was fed by a tall waterfall rushing over a rising wall of obsidian rock. Smooth gravel, ringing the pool, appeared to be the same rock as the cliff face. The sun shone through the trees, dappling the water with its golden light. Kaylin hoped and prayed this water wouldn't get her blackout drunk.

"Well, I guess we won't know until we try it." Kaylin decided before starting towards the pool. Nightshade caught her arm, stopping her from walking to the water's edge.

"Kaylin..." Nightshade started before Kaylin interrupted.

"You can't protect me from everything, Nightshade. Not that I'm not grateful but a sip of water isn't likely to harm me. And look at it this way, if I pass out you can carry me back without a problem. If you pass out, there's no way I can move you very far."

"Very well." Nightshade sighed and reluctantly released her arm. "And Kaylin? Make that a very small sip."

Kaylin approached the pool, stepping carefully on the jet black gravel. Kneeling at the edge where the water gently lapped the shore, she dipped her cupped hand beneath the water's surface. It was cold in sharp contrast to the warm waters of the lagoon. She brought her hand up to her mouth and took a small drink, waiting for the telltale rush. After giving it a couple minutes, she got up and walked back to Nightshade.

"I don't feel anything. I think it'll be safe. It's pretty cold but it'll do for drinking and a quick bath." She paused, thinking about how they would manage that without seeing way too much of each other. "Maybe one of us should bathe while the other keeps watch. Of the forest. Not each other. I mean..."

"I understood what you meant." Nightshade chuckled, her mark warming. "If you make your way behind the waterfall, you will be afforded some small amount of privacy. I will wait."

After Nightshade turned around, Kaylin chucked off her tunic, unwilling to get her only remaining clothes soaking wet. The water very cold and she wanted something warm and dry to put on when she was done. She waded out into the pool, muscles tensing as the frigid water swirled around her.

_Just don't look_. Kaylin reminded the waiting fieflord.

_Despite what Annarion believes, I do have _some_ honor._ He was hovering somewhere between annoyed and amused. The water slowly grew deeper as she walked out to the waterfall at the far end of the pool. She slipped a few times on the smooth rock but ultimately kept her balance. This would be an awkward time to hurt herself. The last thing she wanted was to need assistance while she was stark naked. By the time she reached the waterfall, the water was just below her chin. She sank a little with each step into the sand and silt deposited from the river above. There was just enough room for her to move around behind the screen of water that was shielding her from view. Holding her breath a moment, she ducked below the surface to grab a handful of the sand. The cold was starting to make her skin hurt so she scrubbed her skin as quickly as she could. As she scrubbed her arm, she realized it was glowing. It wasn't just the cold making her skin ache. It was magic. She dropped her handful of sand.

_Nightshade... Please tell me that's you using magic. _

_Are you required to believe it?_ Kaylin could feel his attention sharpen as he looked around for the evidence of magic in use.

_That's it. I'm coming back out._ Kaylin started making her way back around the waterfall when her foot slipped on a smooth rock rising from the sand. She lifted a hand to catch herself on the rock wall beside her but her hand met with air instead. Off balance, she fell through what she had thought was cliff face and into more water. She floundered a second before finding her footing again. It was pitch black, wherever she was. She inched back towards where she thought she'd come from. Reaching her hand out, she could feel a slight tingle as it passed through the magical facade. She pulled her fingers back in before her hand could grow completely numb.

"Kaylin?" Nightshade called from what sounded to be only a few feet away. Kaylin grimaced. This was going to get really embarrassing, really fast.

"I'm right here." She reached her hand back through the facade. He grasped her hand firmly and she pulled him through. She could feel his surprise at passing through what appeared to be solid rock into a pitch black cave of some sort. As he summoned light, she covered her chest with her free arm and ducked as far as she could under the water. She tried tugging her other hand back but he apparently had no intention of releasing her.

Light flooded the cave, revealing what appeared to be someone's living space. Kaylin gasped when she spotted her knives and boots tucked neatly to the side of a bed that was much like the one in their cabin. It was sturdier, however, and covered in blankets made of animal hides. Nightshade's boots were near hers along with his sword. She'd forgotten that he'd brought it with him. He gave her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it.

"Stay. I will make sure we are alone in here." He waded away from her, briefly glancing at her and even then only looking into her eyes. The water grew shallow as he walked further in and Kaylin breathed a sigh of relief when she realized he was still wearing his pants. Nightshade inspected the room quickly and efficiently.

"I think it likely that this served as the residence of your attacker." Nightshade said quietly. He moved to the bed, grabbed a blanket and held it up. "It is safe. Come out of the water, Kaylin. I can hear you chattering like a waif from here."

He didn't have to tell her twice. While he looked away, she waded hurriedly towards him. Grabbing the blanket from him, she wrapped it tightly around herself. Though she'd tucked the end in, she still clutched the blanket to her chest with one hand as she walked past Nightshade to look around the room. It was tidy but well lived in. He had said he'd been here for some time and she could see the evidence of that. He had drawn detailed charcoal murals along the cave walls. Kaylin shivered a little as she looked at what he'd depicted. Crawling across the rock were scenes of an idyllic daily life that slowly gave way to people running and screaming from roiling shadow. His drawing was mesmerizing and disturbingly realistic. Kaylin looked at his depictions in a horrified awe. When she reached the back of the room she spotted one image that made her heart stop.

It was a self portrait of the madman. His hair was floating in the air around him as if underwater. He was weeping; his face a rictus of agony. He cradled a heart in his hands with a depiction of liquid streaming between his fingers. It was rust brown like he painted that part in blood. Framing the image of him were foreign words written, also in blood. As Kaylin stared at the words, they coalesced into something she could undertand. It was the ramblings of a broken man. She read the words out loud, drawn in by the weight of his emotions.

"I, who was named Semsen, was called Touched of the Ancients, Traveler, and Voice of my people. But the dead will not have me as their Voice. I, who failed them, am not what I was. I, who swore to lead them in the long ways between worlds... I, who held the fate of the entirety of my race in my hands, am failure incarnate. I lost the world. I held it and lost it. Held it and lost it. Held it and lost it. Thousands, millions devoured whole but their voices are not silent. I ran through the long ways and their cries followed, reverberating across the endless ether between worlds. I hear them cry from the void. Pleading. Accusing. Condemning. The multitude declare me Coward and Oathbreaker. I declare myself Guilty. They are lost as I am lost. I am lost. I am lost... I am drowning in the blood of the dead. I would end myself for I am cursed but I am also sacred. What terrible irony. I am come to this world, the last of all we were. I am, therefore, a living memorial. Though I am Oathbreaker, I am the Last... and the Only... I am alone."

Kaylin jumped when Nightshade placed a warm hand on her shoulder. She hadn't realize she was crying. Where was Severn when she needed him? Kaylin turned towards Nightshade and leaned into him. He enveloped her in his arms, the touch grounding her as if he were her partner. Perhaps he was, in this place. On the edge of her hearing was an eerie sibilance, a far off whispering. She shivered a little, thinking perhaps her imagination was getting away from her.

"I, too, hear it." Nightshade said. Chills shot down her spine as she pulled away and looked around the cave. There was nothing but wet footprints and Semsen's things. She turned back toward the portrait. The dried blood was now wet and viscous; trailing down the cave wall from the drawing of a heart that looked suspiciously like it was beating. It felt wrong. The hair raised on the back of Kaylin's neck and her marks began glowing in response to the dark magic at play.

"Nightshade, I think we should go."

"I concur. There is blood magic at work here. I believe I have spotted an alternative exit. There are footprints leading up to the side of the cave. One of the prints is bisected by the wall." Nightshade gathered their belongings in one arm and grabbed Kaylin's hand with the other, leading her away from the bleeding picture. He came to a stop before a rocky wall. This one was absent of any drawings. Kaylin tentatively tried touching the wall with her free hand. Her hand went straight through. She started walking through but Nightshade gave her arm a gentle tug.

"I will lead. There is no way to know what is on the other side."

"But your hands are full..." Kaylin was cut off by Nightshade dumping their boots and weapons in her free arm. He then walked straight through the wall without hesitation, dragging her forward. "Well, ok then. Lead on."


	17. Uncharted Waters Part 12

Nightshade pulled Kaylin from the damp, depressing cave through the rocky facade. They stepped into a dense thicket of thorny bushes with a narrow path that snaked through it. Kaylin didn't like the look of those thorns. Some were several inches long and could do some serious damage.

"I don't hear the whispering anymore, do you?" Kaylin asked Nightshade as he led her farther away from the cave.

"I do not. But I would prefer to err on the side of caution and put some more distance between us and the cave." He glanced back at Kaylin. "We will, of course, retrieve your tunic from beside the pool."

Kaylin cheeks grew hot and she was about to retort when she felt the blanket snag and start coming loose. With one arm full of their weapons and boots, she had to yank her hand out of Nightshade's to catch her blanket before it fell completely. He turned around and raised a brow.

"I think I'm going to need you to come take our stuff." Kaylin could feel Nightshade's amusement grow as he approached her, assessing her predicament.

"Kaylin, how you manage to get yourself into these situations is beyond me." Nightshade said as he took their belongings from her. "The blanket you are wearing appears to be thoroughly stuck on the thorns. Would you like assistance freeing yourself?"

"Um no, I think I got it." Kaylin quickly replied, the thought of him helping her wasn't an option she wanted to consider yet. The risk of dropping the blanket was a little bit too high. Besides, the path was so narrow she wasn't sure how Nightshade was going to get around her to unsnag her without one of them getting painfully acquainted with the thorns. "Could you just turn around? Please."

Nightshade chuckled as he turned around. He was still a little bit too close for comfort but at least he wasn't looking. Kaylin turned halfway around and gave the blanket a firm tug. No luck. The thorns held fast. She let out a deep, frustrated sigh and then double checked to make sure Nightshade wasn't peeking before dropping the blanket.

"You do realize I could see through your eyes with very little effort?"

"Nightshade! You wouldn't..." Kaylin yelled indignantly, clutching the blanket back to her chest.

"No, but it is amusing how flustered you become over the issue of your modesty." His voice was laced with humor.

"Oh and I suppose the Barrani care nothing about public indecency. It's against the law, you know." Kaylin turned around and crouched by where the blanket was snagged and began trying to work it free.

"The Emperor's law, Kaylin." Nightshade replied. "We are not in Elantra and it is just us here. The Barrani have different views on modesty. Where you are concerned, I would be less discomfited by a lack of modesty than your Corporal Handred."

"But I'm not Barrani."

"Believe that I have noticed." Nightshade's voice was dry.

"If modesty is not as much of a concern for the Barrani, then by that reasoning I could prance naked through the High Halls and no one would bat an eye."

Nightshade was irritated at the statement. If he was Teela he'd be rolling his eyes right now. Kaylin continued to needle him while she attempted to work the blanket free of the thorns.

"Although on second thought, Ynpharion would probably shriek until my brain exploded if he saw me. Dignity and all that."

"_Lord_ Ynpharion would avert his eyes if he values his life. Regardless, you are deliberately missing the point. You would cause me a great deal of difficulty if you were to ever be so foolish as to test your theory. Barrani are not embarrassed in the same way as mortals when it comes to nakedness. We are, however, not fond of vulnerability and a lack of dignity. If you were to, as you say, prance naked through the High Halls it would be the epitome of undignified. It would be a rather public statement that would reflect unfavorably towards those in the High Court who have claimed you as kyuthe and friend. It would reflect unfavorably on _me_. There is also a rather large difference between nakedness and immodesty."

Kaylin rolled her eyes and gave the blanket another fierce tug before growling and cursing in Leontine.

"That's it! No, don't turn around yet. I'm done trying to do this the nice way. Could you please hand me one of my knives over your shoulder?" Kaylin stood up from where she crouched, shivering a little as a breeze chilled her damp skin. Nightshade held up a knife by the blade, hilt pointing over his shoulder to Kaylin so she could grab it without cutting herself.

"I suppose it would be too much to hope that you saw my clothes in that cave." She asked while turning back to the blanket.

"I did not. Believe that I would have made an effort to retrieve them had I seen them. Regardless. We digress. To put it plainly, I have made a claim on you, one that my kin can not possibly miss. Historically, the nature of that claim would be an intimate one. A certain amount of... immodesty and subsequent vulnerability is generally expected in that sense. That does not mean, by extension, any of the other Barrani of your acquaintance has a similar claim to see you in a vulnerable state. I am not embarrassed by any lack of modesty on your part. I maintain your privacy because you desire it."

"Thanks... I guess." Kaylin cursed her luck and the awkwardness of the conversation and the situation as a whole. She hacked at the blanket mercilessly as she desperately grasped for a safer topic to think about and ended up thinking about the cave they had just left. She felt a strange sort of guilt about the death of Semsen. He'd been the last of his kind. His world had been undone by the Devourer. But then he had attacked her, madman that he was, even though he'd wanted to use her to resurrect his people.

"Guilt will serve no purpose here. It is because of you that the Devourer sleeps. The dead can rest now because you are merciful and compassionate." Nightshade said quietly. "These are not traits valued by my people. They are considered a weakness but I find I cannot overly fault you for it even though it causes you pain. It is who you are. If I thought you would listen, I would advise you to more closely guard your heart but you are young still and must learn for yourself. I would, however, council that you learn to confine such feelings and not extend them towards the undeserving, such as Semsen. Not everyone can be saved or redeemed."

"He wanted to use me to save his people. He wanted to use my powers..." She wanted to add, _like you did_ but didn't. He heard it anyway.

"Kaylin, if I understand at all what you have shown me, he would have razed this world to its very foundations to resurrect his own. He was dabbling in forbidden and dangerous magic. I wanted to save my brother. My goal was more focused and confined. It was never my intent to harm you. He would have destroyed you. He had already hurt you." Kaylin thought he sounded angry or unsettled as he spoke. Maybe she had pushed him a little far. She hadn't really meant to start an argument. Nightshade continued. "That was not the whole of his desire nor is it mine. But where he would have used you and harmed you, I will not."

Kaylin finished cutting the blanket free and wrapped back around herself. She turned around to see him beginning to walk away and she caught his arm. He stopped but didn't turn around immediately, his posture stiff. _I would not have you think such of me_.

"I don't think that. Not really. I know it's different." She tugged his arm until he turned around. Reaching her hands up, she pressed them to his cheeks. He gazed at her face, some of the stiffness leaving him. His eyes shaded from a dark blue to something closer to green. He dropped everything but his sword, Meliannos then pulled her close. He was careful to not smack her with the sword, and lazily traced his mark on her cheek with a finger. She didn't move except to wrap her arms around his torso, hugging the fieflord. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips rest there a moment. Possessive, yes, but he'd never take more than she was willing and small things like this she could manage. He sighed a little and then pulled away. While he strapped his sword around his waist, Kaylin silently thanked him for not making her carry it again; Meliannos was not light or small by any definition. Nodding, Nightshade gathered the rest of their belongings and set off down the path again.

Once they emerged from the thicket, it was a quick walk back to where Kaylin had tossed the tunic. She was mostly dry, except for her hair, and started pulling it on. Fortunately, Nightshade had turned to give her some privacy.

"I wonder what that madman did with my clothes. This is getting irritating." Kaylin finished pulling the tunic over her head, smoothed out the wrinkles, and then quickly folded the blanket. "Ok, it's safe to look now."

Nightshade turned back towards Kaylin and held out her boots to her. After she pulled them on, she made her way to the pool to drink her fill.

"It is possible he never found your clothing. Although, that does beg the question of what you did with them."

"I wish I knew." Kaylin stood up and made her way back to Nightshade. Taking her knives from him, she tucked them into her boots. She looked down at her outfit and sighed. "Well, this is certainly a fashion statement."

Nightshade chuckled as he led the way back to their cabin.

* * *

Kaylin lay on her stomach on the rickety bed, hands tucked under her head, as she stared at the empty fireplace. They were low on firewood but with the addition of another blanket she was reasonably comfortable in the cool night air. She'd offered the extra one to Nightshade but he refused to take it, saying he hardly noticed the cold despite being shirtless. Even now, he sat on the cool, earthen floor in front of the bed, his back leaning against it, one leg drawn up with his arm resting on his bent knee. He did seem unbothered by the damp chill as he meticulously sharpened their blades under the light of a bobbing orb of mage light. Kaylin found the repetitive scrape of knife being sharpened on stone soothing in a familiar sort of way.

After their return to the cabin, the rest of the evening had almost been... domestic. They'd had a quiet, companionable supper of apples, lots of apples. Kaylin had almost fallen asleep in the middle of biting one of those apples before Nightshade all but ordered her to go to bed. But she now found herself wide awake, her mind racing. Everything was so uncertain right now. There was no guarantee they'd ever find their way back. Kaylin would try opening a portal home but she had no idea how. If they got desperate enough she'd wing it and hope for the best like she did every other time she'd used her powers. They still held out some hope that the boys and her familiar would find them but something must've gone wrong. Hope should've found them by now.

Nightshade heard that thought. He didn't pause while sharpening Kaylin's knife but she could feel his concern for his brother though the bond of name. To go through so much to save him and now he faced the possibly of never seeing him again, it was enough to make Kaylin's heart ache in sympathy. She thought about all the people she had left back in Elantra. Were they looking for her? She knew Severn would not give up, not right away. The others probably wouldn't either for that matter. Kaylin let out a shaky breath. She missed them. She missed her home. Even so, she was glad she had Nightshade here and wasn't all alone on a foreign world.

What would it have been like if she had been stuck here with someone else? She snorted at the thought of being stuck here with Ynpharion. Blood rushed to her face at the thought of being drunk in the lagoon with him of all people. Kaylin absently noted Nightshade's mark was growing warmer. She didn't think much of it because he still hadn't stopped sharpening the knife. She also didn't think she would've come away wearing Ynpharion's tunic. But this world did have a strange effect on her... Nightshade sighed almost imperceptibly and paused sharpening the knife for a brief moment before starting back up again.

Kaylin's thoughts wandered to when the Lady had forced Ynpharion to kiss her in order to find Nightshade. Neither of them had particularly enjoyed the experience. No, she decided, they wouldn't have had any issues keeping their hands to themselves under the influence of the pollen or the lagoon. At least she didn't think they would have... Kaylin was startled of that line of thought by a sharp wave of irritation from Nightshade. He was looking at her over his shoulder, raising a brow.

"You realize that I would have to destroy Lord Ynpharion if he touched you?"

"You didn't punish Ynpharion for kissing me."

"If he had not been compelled by the Lady to do so, I would have. You noted his fear before he even touched you. Why do you suppose that is?"

"The mark..."

"In part, yes. The mark is a public statement. It is a sign that I will protect and keep that which I have claimed as my own. He was not afraid of you. He was not afraid of a mere kiss. He feared me. He knows that you are not his to touch. He does not have my power and he is aware of that fact. He faced the very real possibility that I would take offense and he would have had very little chance of survival had I done so. He is fortunate that I chose, at that time, to overlook it. And I did not wish to upset you with his death. You would have felt compelled to defend him. It would have been vexing."

"Vexing." Kaylin snorted at his word choice.

"Yes." Nightshade was clearly not happy with the thought of Ynpharion touching Kaylin. Hesitantly, Kaylin placed her hand on his shoulder. He set the knife down and grabbed her hand. The mark was glowing in the dark of the cabin as he turned her hand over and kissed her palm. _Go to sleep_.

_But_...

_Hush, Kaylin._

Nightshade began humming, picking up Kaylin's other knife and sharpening it. The haunting melody and rhythmic scraping drove all argument and worry from Kaylin's mind as she lay there transfixed. Her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep as his humming turned to quiet singing, beautiful and calming.


	18. Uncharted Waters Part 13

Note: this entry can be considered a bit triggery.

* * *

_She was alone in the endless, deep darkness. Just her and the drums. The drums were a roar or perhaps a multitude of whispers. They beat in perfect harmony, reverberating across the vast nothingness. Kaylin's heart leapt and pounded in time with the incessant beat. She stood there for what felt like days and decades and infinite years until time had no meaning. It could've been only a moment or it could've been forever before she saw a glow in the distance. The drums did not keep time; they transcended it. She transcended it also as she ran miles between one breath and the next to find the source of the light._

_Her heart stuttered. It was Semsen, enveloped in a blood-filled chrysalis, his hair arrayed around him, a beating heart in his hands. It beat in time with the drums, pushing and pulling eddies of blood in and throughout it, circulating the blood in the chrysalis in perpetual motion. His eyes were shut but his lips moved, forming inaudible words._

_"But he's dead..." She cried, her voice echoing ad nauseam across the infinite plane. She pointed a shaking finger at him. "You are dead!"_

_Semsen's eyes flashed open. He stopped speaking as his face twisted in agony. His eyes were unfocused as he began speaking again and this time she could hear him. His words did not echo as if they were meant for her, only her._

_"I, who held the fate of the entirety of my race in my hands, am failure incarnate. I lost the world. I held it and lost it. Held it and lost it. Held it and lost it. Thousands, millions devoured whole. Their voices now fall silent. I ran through the long ways and their cries followed, reverberating across the endless ether between worlds. I once heard them cry from the void. They were lost as I am now lost. I am lost. I am lost... I have drowned in the blood of the dead. I am dead and I cannot hear them. I am come to my grave, the last of all we were. All we were and all we could have been is now ash. My mouth is filled with bitter, bitter ashes. I was the last... and the only hope... I again failed."_

_As he spoke, Kaylin walked closer like a moth drawn to a flame. Absently, she thought that the moth never came out on top in that scenario. But she didn't stop, couldn't stop, not until she stood inches away from Semsen's bloody containment. His eyes focused and he looked down at her standing before him._

_"Child, do you think me contained?" He spoke, his voice a whisper belying the danger he presented. He reached his hand up and out of the chrysalis, cupping the disembodied heart in the other hand. He touched her mark and Kaylin felt a shock rush through her limbs. She was frozen, paralyzed and powerless. "You should've let me have you. You would have been a goddess, raising a dead people from the ashes."_

_Kaylin watched as he released the heart but it remained suspended, never pausing its rhythm. Horrified, she watched Semsen emerge from the chrysalis and step firmly on the ground before her. He circled her, a shark hunting his prey. He stopped behind her, yanked her head by the hair as viciously as Nightshade had yanked his. Any farther and her neck would break. He wrapped an arm around her waist and bent to whisper in her ear._

_"I will break you down and remake you. My goddess. My Chosen."_

_The chrysalis began to solidify and turn opaque. Her skin burned and ached while every instinct she possessed screamed that he was forming a portal and it would break her. Tears streamed unchecked down Kaylin's face, as he continued speaking._

_"Stay with me, my little Chosen. I would not have you miss a single thing." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she shuddered at the vileness of it. Bile clawed at the back of her throat, trying to force its way out. She found she could not close her eyes, not even to blink. She watched in stunned horror as Helen walked through with Hope perched on her shoulder. He cooed and warbled, rubbing his snout on Helen's cheek. Helen walked up to Kaylin and hugged her as if Semsen were not there. Kaylin melted into her embrace. It ended all too soon and Helen pulled away from her._

_"Dear, what trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" Helen was frowning. She backed away slowly from Kaylin. Kaylin opened her mouth but couldn't speak, the words lodged in her throat._

_"There's a darkness growing in you Kaylin. You are not welcome inside my doors. They are barred to you." Helen turned and walked away. Hope didn't look back, not even once. A moment after she left through the portal, the cohort emerged one by one, standing immobile and silent until the last one came through. They each held a long dagger, glittering black and dripping poison. Her voice came out in a wordless scream as one by one they stabbed her. The last one to approach her was Teela who paused in front of her, inspecting her as if to pass judgement._

You are worthless. _Ynpharion's voice was a grating scream in her head. She couldn't escape it, couldn't respond. _An'Teela will do what needs to be done. Just as she always has.

_"Kitling, why did I waste my time on you?" Without hesitation, Teela stabbed her through the heart and left the blade there. She walked away and the cohort left through the portal, leaving her bleeding and shaking from the poison in her blood stream._

You deserved that_. Ynpharion said, his thoughts once more raking her brain. Kaylin desperately tried closing her eyes. She didn't want to know who was next in this horrific parade. Her eyes would not close. Bellusdeo was next. She was thankful it wasn't Severn. Anyone but Severn._

_Bellusdeo snorted, turned around, and walked back to the portal._

_"You're not even worth the effort." She called over her shoulder before disappearing into the swirling miasma._ _Kaylin whimpered as Severn walked out next. This was too much. Too much. He walked up to her and whispered, "Elianne." He kissed her forehead, his lips like fire burning her skin._

_"All along, it should've been you I killed."_

_He pulled away and ripped the knife from her chest. No, no, no, not Severn. But even as she sobbed, he slit her throat. He threw the knife to the ground and watched her gurgling and bleeding out, held up only by the grip Semsen had on her hair and his arm around her waist. She was dying but slowly. Too slowly. She was almost numb when Nightshade walked through. He stood back and to the side as if he were waiting for something. And he was... Moments later Barren stalked through, smiling at her, a nasty, self-satisfied expression, with his arms stretched towards her. Severn, her blood on his hands, walked away, leaving her to Barren._

You deserve this too. _Ynpharion screamed until her nose bled, the stream insignificant compared to her cut throat._

_"Eli!" Barren called to her. She screamed and raged but nothing freed her from Semsen's hold or slowed his approach. Nightshade watched and did nothing, not to help her or condemn her. He was the embodiment of apathy in the face of her torment. It hurt nearly as much as Severn slitting her throat. She couldn't let Barren near her. Not again. Never again. No. She shouted denial. No._

_"NO!" Her voice broke free as aTrue Word tumbled from her lips and fell to the ground. It was the essence of denial, of things refused and rejected. It was safety, hope, and shield. The drums fell silent. The True Word shook and shattered the infinite nothingness. Her marks rose from her skin and Semsen shoved her away from him with a shout. She fell and fell and fell_. Finally I die, _she thought._ No more. No more.

* * *

Kaylin awoke screaming into the dark of the cabin. _Hells. Bloody hells._ She lay frozen a moment, paralyzed by the last fading remnants of her nightmare. The dream oozed off of her like poisonous sludge, slowly falling away. Suddenly nightmare seemed too slight a word to describe what that was. That was hell. Unadulterated hell. She threw herself out of the bed, stumbling towards the door. She desperately needed air, fresh air. She couldn't breathe. Yanking the door open, she ran outside. She didn't make it far before her knees gave out. Kaylin sank to ground, running shaking hands over her face.

"Kaylin?"

Kaylin yelped. She whipped her head around and spotted Nightshade walking swiftly around the corner of the cabin. Everything was dimly lit by the full moon but she would know him anywhere. She struggled a moment to reconcile that this Nightshade was not the one from her dream. She stood up and walked towards him, feeling his concern whisper across their bond. No, he was not the same one. He lifted his arms towards her.

"What-" he stopped abruptly when Kaylin collapsed into his arms. He dropped his arms to pull her close, wrapping them around her trembling form. She hated her weakness in that moment. _Get a hold of yourself... it was just a dream_. She scolded herself but like usual her thoughts were on prominent display to the fieflord. He pulled away a little before cupping her face with his hands.

"You are not weak. Tell me what has happened."

"Just a dream." She replied, subdued. "Hell in a dream."

Nightshade held her face, his eyes searching hers. Trying to hide from his perusal, Kaylin dropped her head against his chest. He tilted her head back up, frowning.

"Your nose is bleeding."

Sure enough, Kaylin could see blood smeared across his chest where her face had been.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, lifting her sleeve to wipe her blood from his skin. He caught her hand before she could. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly froze. Spinning around, he yanked his sword from its sheath. A dark, snarling form leapt from the shadows, teeth and claws glinting in the moonlight. Nightshade eviscerated it with one sweep of his sword. Blood sprayed them both as it fell away onto the ground beside them. The smell of blood took her back to her nightmare, of Severn slitting her throat.

_Her blood on his hands, he walked away, leaving her to Barren._

Kaylin turned away, falling to her hands and knees by a nearby bush. Her eyes burned and watered as she violently lost what little was left of dinner. When she was done, she felt too spent to get back up. Nightshade picked her up off the ground and cradled her to his chest.

"I can't sleep covered in blood."

"No." He glanced down at her and then walked away from the cabin toward the direction of the pool. She buried her face against his chest, doing her best to ignore the blood, and took comfort that this Nightshade, the real Nightshade, was not apathetic to her pain. He carried her too gently for her to think otherwise.


	19. Uncharted Waters Part 14

This man was going to be the death of her, Kaylin thought as she stared at him in open astonishment. They had just gotten back from the river that fed the pool by Semsen's cave and while they were now clean, they were also freezing. Well, Kaylin was at least. She was shivering but Nightshade appeared unaffected. She'd offered to light a fire with the last of their wood but Nightshade stopped her before she could.

"What do you mean I accidentally summoned the elemental fire and why would you not tell me this earlier?"

"I mean exactly that. Our first night in this world, you attempted to light a small fire and instead summoned the Elemental. It did not come up before this."

"I don't remember doing that." She replied, doubtfully.

"I am not surprised. You were still exceptionally intoxicated from the pollen and the waters of the lagoon." He paused. "I will admit that it was a bit of a shock to enter the cabin after securing it and find you telling the Eldest a bedtime story."

Kaylin let slip one of the more useful Barrani words in her repertoire out of sheer embarrassment.

"Dare I ask where you learned such a word?" Nightshade asked while raising a tired hand to his brow.

"Yeah, I got that one from you."

"I imagine I did not intend for you to actually hear it at the time." He had the grace to look mildly chagrined.

"Probably not but it has its uses." Kaylin grinned at him and motioned for him to light the fire. She didn't want a repeat of her drunken mishap. After the fire was lit, she breathed a sigh of relief and moved as close as she dared to dry out her tunic.

"Are you sure you got all the... bits out of my hair?" Kaylin grimaced at the memory of running her fingers through Nightshade's hair, trying to dislodge stray pieces of guts and gore. He had returned the favor but she couldn't help but feel like some pieces had been left behind.

"I am quite sure, Kaylin." He said while moving to stand closer to her, holding his hands out to the flame.

"Did you have to gut it so forcefully? That packed a little bit more of a punch than a normal sword would've."

"Meliannos is not a normal sword." Nightshade replied, firmly. Kaylin snorted a little. Men and their weapons... No matter the species, it was always the same unwavering point of pride. He gave her a _look_ before continuing. "I would rather deal with stray viscera than risk our safety. I am not familiar with the local wildlife. The Elantran phrasing is, better safe than sorry, yes?"

"Yeah, that's the saying. You know, you didn't have to carry me the whole way. You could've put me down."

"It was dark and you were not wearing your boots. Would you have wanted to slice your foot open again?" Nightshade replied.

"No..." Kaylin frowned. "But I don't need to be hauled around like a toddler all the time. Your arms are going to get tired eventually."

Nightshade's silence was one of long-suffering, which was not an emotion she commonly attributed to the fieflord. Kaylin was getting the distinct impression he was struggling with his irritation at the suggestion that she was too heavy for him. _Pick your battles_, she told herself, _At least he doesn't throw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. _

Several minutes passed in silence before Kaylin's eyes began drooping even as she stood before the fire. She tried shaking her head in an attempt to clear it but she only succeeded in making the cabin spin around her.

"Nightshade, something is wrong." Kaylin slurred before pitching forward towards the hearth. The world went dark before she could even hit the ground.

* * *

_Kaylin turned in a slow circle around her old apartment. It was dimly lit by the dying twilight sun and she could just barely make out the shape of a man sitting in her only chair._

_"Severn, is that you?" She asked, squinting at the obscured form. Placing a hand on the hilt of her knife, she hoped she wouldn't need to use it. Her heart practically leaped into her throat and lodged itself there when the intruder summoned a small flame in the palm of his hand._

_"Would it make things easier between us if I looked like your Severn?" Semsen purred as he unfolded himself from the chair and walked towards her. Kaylin tried to pull her knife but found she was frozen on the spot._

_"Perhaps I have been going about this the wrong way, my little Chosen."_ _Semsen's face morphed into that of Severn's, wearing a vicious smirk that was foreign to her partner's face. He grasped Kaylin's chin with a bruising grip, forcing her to look up at him._

_"Will you listen to me while I wear this face? Would you resurrect my people if it was this face asking? "_

_"No." Kaylin spat on the face Semsen stole and watched his features contort in visceral rage. He released her chin only to backhand her, knocking her to the floor. No, she was falling through the floor like it wasn't even there._

_She was falling._

_Falling for hours and days and infinite years._

* * *

"Kaylin. Kaylin."

Kaylin could feel a hand press against her cheek as she jolted awake, arching her back in an uncontrollable spasm. Nightshade's arms tightened around her like bands of steel. She wanted to respond to him but her mouth wouldn't work. All she could manage was a noise halfway between a whimper and a sob before she was dragged back into the dream.

* * *

_Kaylin was laying on the well-worn floor. She tried to pry herself up with shaking limbs but couldn't lift herself more than a few inches before her arms gave out. She lay there gasping from the effort when she spied Severn crouching beside her. No, not Severn. Semsen, still wearing Severn's face, watched her struggle with malicious amusement. He reached a hand out and stroked her cheek. Nightshade's mark turn to ice as he traced the delicate swirls, leaving her paralyzed once again._

_"I may have chosen the wrong face. I should have known the man who killed me is the one who claimed you in such a way as this. I would not brand you like cattle, Chosen. I would make you a goddess."_

_"Do you normally hit your goddesses or do you reserve that honor for me?"_

_"Such spirit!" Semsen laughed while he shifted into the spitting image of Nightshade. "You are no goddess yet. Did I not say I would break you down and remake you? You will be reborn as deity and consort. I will revere you. I will worship you."_

_"You're insane." Kaylin hissed._

_"Even so," the false Nightshade whispered as he threaded his fingers through her hair. Gathering her in his arms, he started walking towards her bed. Nameless terror welled in her stomach and sent ice through her veins. As if she knew Semsen's name, she could sense the whole of his intent. Her fear shattered her paralysis and she threw herself out of his arms onto the floor. She leapt to her feet and turned to run away but he grabbed her by the hair and jerked her to a stop. Kaylin yanked her daggers from their sheaths and twisted to face Semsen. He raised his other hand to strike her again but before he could, she uttered a True Word._

_He froze, paralyzed in the face of the command to be still. She drove one dagger in his stomach and dragged the other across his throat, flinching as his blood sprayed across her face. His hand still clutching her hair, he dragged her to the ground as he collapsed. He held her head against his chest as he labored for breath._

_"Why?" He gurgled, blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth. "Why?"_

_Kaylin closed her eyes, unable to watch Semsen die while he was wearing Nightshade's face. She cried into his tunic, listening to his heart slow until it stopped completely._

* * *

Kaylin slammed back into her body, unsure what was now dream or reality. She jerked out of Nightshade's arms where he held her on the dirt floor and scrabbled for her one of her daggers. She whirled around, still on her knees, and held the dagger in front of her.

"Don't touch me! Stay where you are." She said, hating how her voice was shaking. She stood up carefully, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Kaylin, what was happened?" He asked while also standing up and taking a step towards her. Kaylin's hand shook as he slowly approached her until the point of her knife was at his heart. He wrapped his hand around hers to steady it.

_Would you kill me now if you could?_ He asked her in the quiet between them. His words hit her like a slap in the face. Perhaps she wasn't dreaming anymore and this wasn't Semsen. Even if it was, she didn't think she could kill him again while he wore Nightshade's face.

"Please tell me you're really you." She asked, her throat tight with emotion.

"It is really me. I am here, Kaylin. I will not harm you." Nightshade replied quietly. His voice was calming and at odds with his internal struggle. It was the voice one would use when approaching a wild or hurt animal and it was working. The shaking and residual terror faded away, leaving her feeling exhausted and cold. The fieflord released her and she let her hand drop.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before turning and running outside. She needed space to breath, to collect herself. She shut the door behind her, leaned against it, and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the ground. Looking at the dagger still in her hand, she thought about how close she'd come to hurting Nightshade. She cursed Semsen in every language she knew. She didn't think it was a coincidence the nightmares started after they encountered the blood magic in Semsen's cave. Perhaps haunting her was his backup plan in case he was killed; his last hope if all else failed. She didn't think it was a haunting in the traditional sense but a remnant of him that he bound in blood on the wall of that cave; a remnant that she activated by reading the words he'd written.

_Your reasoning is sound, Kaylin. I think you are correct. I do not know what occurred in your dreams; only that it has left you upset and unsettled. It is concerning that it has affected you physically as well. _

Kaylin sighed and tilted her head back until it thudded against the door. _I killed him in the last one. I'm hoping that's the end of it but maybe I should stay out here. I don't want to attack you again._

The door opened so quickly that Kaylin couldn't catch herself from falling backwards. Nightshade stood above her, frowning.

"You are not sleeping outside."

"You could have warned me before opening the door!" Kaylin exclaimed while picking herself off the ground. Carefully crossing her arms since she still held the knife, she stood in the doorway. "I held a blade to you, Nightshade. Don't act like that didn't happen."

"And so you did. You are still not sleeping outside." He pointed to the sky. Kaylin turned and saw lightening in the distance. "Even if I was inclined to let you, it is going to storm."

"You are infuriating. Are you planning on making me come inside? I'm not scared of a little rain." Kaylin regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. Nightshade raised a brow at her before scooping her up off her feet before she could stop him. He kicked the door closed and spoke an unfamiliar word that made Kaylin's skin ache and the doorframe glow. Turning to the bed, he set her down so she was sitting on the edge before he knelt down in front of her. He took the knife from her hand and set it aside.

"You are upset and overwrought. I would ask that you stop the verbal flailing and instead tell me what is wrong." He caught her gaze and held it. She didn't want to be vulnerable, not right then. She turned away and crawled into the bed, pulling the covers over her head. She felt the covers shift and the bed dip as he climbed in beside her. Resigning herself to the fact that he wasn't going to leave her alone until she talked about it, she sat up, letting the blankets fall from her face. She turned so she was facing him. He was laying on his back with his head resting on his hands.

"I watched you die. In my last dream, Semsen stole your face. He paralyzed me somehow and started taking me into my room in my old apartment. He was going to hurt me while looking like you so I slit his throat but it was like I was slitting yours. I laid there and listened to your heart until it stopped and I hated every second of it." Kaylin said, tears streaming down her face. Nightshade sat up, facing her but didn't interrupt. _And then I tried to hurt you when I woke up. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. _

"Little one, I think you will find it unlikely that I would ever hate you." Nightshade replied, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close. He laid back down, holding her to his chest and pulled the blankets back over them. Being held by the fieflord while she was sober was a whole other thing than when she was drunk. In another time and place, she had been scared of him. Now he was the one keeping the nightmares at bay.

"This world, Nightshade... it's just one thing after another. It keeps chewing me up and spitting me back out." Kaylin whispered into his chest. "It's going to kill me."

Nightshade tightened his hold on her before responding.

"I will not surrender you to this world."


	20. Preview Snippet - Nightshade POV

Hey fellow Nightlin fans! As an "essential worker" in this crazy time we're living in, I haven't had a lot of time for writing. I am working on the next chapter but it is taking some time because by the time I get home from work I am exhausted. I promise it'll be up soon. Thank you all for the comments and for reading my little story :) But in the meantime, I have a little preview snippet from Nightshade's perspective that takes place after my chapter titled "Unexpected".

* * *

Nightshade stared at Kaylin sleeping peacefully on the couch. Her hand rested protectively over her rounded belly, the other under her cheek. Her hair fell across her face, sticking to her loosely parted lips. She'd been more tired than usual but she'd assured him it was normal for a mortal pregnancy. Regardless, he found himself watching her constantly, looking for any sign that she was unwell.

"Brother, have you heard a single word I have said?" Annarion asked, his irritation evident.

"Your pardon, Annarion. I was... preoccupied."

"I could tell," Annarion replied dryly, looking pointedly at Kaylin. "Perhaps the mother of your child would be more comfortable in her bed."


	21. Uncharted Waters Part 15

Kaylin woke to the feeling of someone lightly plucking at her fingers like they were trying to pry her fist open. She cracked her eyes open and froze at the sight of Lord Nightshade, fieflord and warrior, sitting up with his head and upper body bent at an awkward angle toward where she lay on her side, while looking mildly put out over his hair being wildly tangled in her grasp. She breathed out a sleepy laugh and released her hold on his hair.

Once his hair was free he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.

"My apologies for waking you, Kaylin."

"I'm sorry I had a death grip on your hair..." she quietly replied as butterflies staged a riot in her stomach at the sweet gesture. She shivered in the chill of the room when the blankets were dislodged as Nightshade laid down on his back. Still half asleep, she curled up against the warmth of his side. He pulled the blankets up and wrapped an arm around her. She rested her face on his chest and looked up at him, blinking slowly as she fought falling back to sleep.

"Nightshade?"

"Yes?"

"I want steamed milk," Kaylin said, stifling a yawn. Her eyes fluttered closed as he gently stroked her hair.

"If we return to Elantra, I will provide you with all the steamed milk you desire," he replied.

"Maybe there's goats or cows somewhere in this world."

"Perhaps," Nightshade chuckled, the vibration of it tickled Kaylin's cheek. She sighed contentedly, wrapping her arm across his torso and hugging him.

"Good night Nightshade."

Nightshade kissed the top of Kaylin's head and pulled the blankets higher.

_Sleep, Kaylin, and I will keep watch. _


	22. Uncharted Waters Part 16

"Nightshade?"

"Yes?" The Barrani in question distractedly responded.

"How long do you plan on staring at that wall?" Kaylin asked as her stomach growled, making a decent impression of an irritated Leontine. They had been walking the perimeter of the lagoon they'd found the first day on this world when Nightshade had spotted some ruins. He hadn't even tried to contain his sharp curiosity from the bond of name. He'd dragged Kaylin behind him and thirty minutes later he was still staring at the remnants of a long abandoned building.

Nightshade sighed a little before looking over to Kaylin where she sat on a nearby boulder, swinging her legs.

"This wall has a script carved into it that is very similar to an ancient form of High Barrani that I studied in my youth. From my brief examination, I believe it is possible that this language and Barrani developed from the same source. I find the implications highly intriguing but aside from my intellectual interest, I feel it unwise to discount the possibility that we may yet discover a way home amongst these ruins." Nightshade paused and smiled a little. "Lannagaros will be envious when he hears of this. When we return home, you may find him wanting to gain entry to your Helen's basement levels."

"If we get back..." Kaylin replied glumly before hopping off the boulder and joining Nightshade where he stood. He tracked her progress until she stood shoulder to shoulder with him and he watched intently as she reached her hand out to the weather-worn rock. She wasn't sure what she was hoping for. A whisper of magic maybe? Perhaps a giant sandwich board that shouted, "here lies the way home." She saw nothing and felt nothing except growing frustration. She sighed and let her hand drop.

"I will return to this later. I will not be able to decipher it with any accuracy without further study and we still have much to explore." Nightshade turned away from the wall and walked deeper into the long abandoned village. Kaylin paused a moment to glance back at the distant lagoon. The last time they were near here, Semsen had attacked her. His body was still in a cave deep under the water's surface. She'd seen death in many forms but this one still unsettled her.

_Come, Kaylin._ Nightshade started calling her before his internal voice was cut off by his sudden alarm, followed by utter silence. Kaylin took off in a dead run toward the direction he had been walking and came to a sliding stop when she spotted him standing motionless in a column of blue light. He was so still that she could not even see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. His hands and fingers were curved like claws and wreathed in tendrils of pure magical energy that formed arcs of light unnaturally frozen in its path. A ring of words circled around the column, looking uncomfortably familiar to Kaylin. They were True Words. She felt her own marks heat and light up in recognition.

"Chosen." A voice thundered behind her.

She whipped around to find a tall, pale, and hairless man staring, unfocused, over her shoulder with eyes that were like glowing liquid silver.

"He has trespassed." He spoke again.

"He didn't intend to. We didn't know you were here. We thought this place was a abandoned. If you let him go, we'll leave and not come back."

"He has trespassed."

"You said that already. Who are you?"

The man tilted his head as if processing her words while still staring at some point beyond her. "I am an artificially intelligent interface, created to be guardian and protector of this laboratory."

"Are you alive?"

"That would depend on your definition of life. Am I alive in the way you are? No. But am I alive in the way that I perceive it? Perhaps." He said, his tone philosophical.

"What did you mean by laboratory? There's nothing here but ruins and overgrown weeds."

"The laboratory is not confined to this small area. This world, in its entirety, serves as a laboratory to the Creators."

"I don't think your Creators have been here in some time." Kaylin said carefully.

"You are mistaken. Even so, I must honor the geis placed upon me. It is my purpose and sole focus. I exist to protect this place and I will continue to do so."

"As fascinating as that is, I really do need you to release the man you have captured."

"You are Chosen. There are no doors closed to you in this place but he is not Chosen. He does not have the same permissions that have been granted to you."

"But he is with me..."

"Is he yours?"

"No, he's not..." Kaylin cut herself off. Arguing over the meaning of possession versus association wasn't likely to yield the results she was looking for. "Yes, he's mine."

"Do you take responsibility for him and his actions?"

"Yes."

"I will remand him into your custody, Chosen. You will be granted a tether that will ensure he will stay where you can keep a close eye on him. The containment field has not been kind to him. Save him if you will it. I care not."

"I understand. Thank you." Kaylin felt uneasy over the possible state Nightshade was going to be in once he was released but at the risk of offending the man she kept silent.

The man looked suddenly into her eyes with an intense gaze.

"One more thing, Chosen, you must find a way to return to your world. This world is not meant for one such as you. Chosen or not, your body is too fragile for what lies in wait here. There is a substance in the atmosphere that accumulates in your body that affects your thoughts and actions. The longer you're here, the less likely you will survive the return to your world. As it is, the withdrawal you face will be substantial." The man waved a hand and the field holding Nightshade vanished. The man disappeared a moment later but Kaylin sensed that he was still watching somehow.

The light crackling around Nightshade's hands shot up his arms and his neck, scorching trails across his skin. It then began pooling around his left wrist and arched out, snaring Kaylin's wrist. Glowing shackles and a chain formed where the light had coalesced, burning their way into Nightshade's and Kaylin's skin. Kaylin screamed from the pain while Nightshade grunted and wavered where he stood. Kaylin could sense that as much as she was in agony, what Nightshade felt was tenfold.

With a flash and a loud clap like thunder, the light show faded and left on their wrists two matching shackles so black that they seemed to absorb the light around it. The chain was no longer visible but connected them just the same. Kaylin looked to Nightshade and saw that light still crackled across his skin. His eyes rolled up and he began falling toward Kaylin. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to slow his fall but his weight knocked her off her feet. Kaylin felt his arm wrap around her head to shield it from the impact with the ground while his other arm shot out to catch himself from completing flattening Kaylin. He braced himself above her, hissing in pain as the light continued to burn its way across his skin. It flared, momentarily blinding Kaylin. He shuddered as the light faded completely. Letting his head drop to rest his forehead against Kaylin's, he held himself unnaturally still while breathing unevenly.

"Nightshade?" Kaylin whispered, unnerved by the amount of pain she sensed from him. She pressed her shaking hands on either of his face. In the back of her mind, she registered that her powers were rising up to heal him.

"Save your strength for dealing with the tethers." He pulled his head up and away from her hands, breaking her connection to him. "I will recover."

Kaylin jabbed a shaking finger at his chest.

"You scared the hells out of me, Nightshade! You went so silent I thought you were gone." She said, trying to not cry.

Nightshade stood and pulled her to her feet before wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. Kaylin knew he'd never admit to it but she thought he needed the hug almost as much as she did.

"I am sorry to have frightened you," He replied, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll try to forgive you," Kaylin teased, her voice still a little shaky. "That avatar, or whatever he was, said there's something in the air effecting the way we act. I wonder if it's like the lagoon or the pollen and making us a little more... affectionate than we'd normally be."

"I will admit that a similar thought has crossed my mind. Perhaps this world is slowly lowering our inhibitions instead of all at once like a slow acting poison. Kaylin, look at me for a moment." Nightshade waited for Kaylin to look up and wiped at some of the tears she hadn't realized she'd been crying. "I find that I do not resent the poisoning as much as I should and I think I will not resent anything we've done if we are ever freed from its effects."

"He said we'd go through withdrawal if we ever got home."

"What is the Elantran phrase? We will cross that bridge when we come to it. I believe our more pressing concern is the tether connecting us."

Kaylin opened her mouth to reply but before words could come out she felt the sharp slap of magic in use and her mouth continued hanging open as she saw a portal begin to form behind Nightshade. She stepped around him and began walking toward it in a daze. There was a someone just on the other side. Someone who looked vaguely Aerian and heart-achingly familiar.

"Hope?" Kaylin whispered. Her familiar smiled and his wings twitched behind him in greeting. Her heart stuttered and her knees started giving out. Nightshade caught her from behind with an arm around her waist before she fell.

"Is this real?" She asked, afraid to believe her eyes. Nightshade's voice tickled her ear as he responded.

"It is real."


	23. Uncharted Waters Part 17

Kaylin was about shake free of Nightshade's arm to run towards Hope but he raised a hand in alarm and shook his head. Tightening his grip, Nightshade pulled her to the side just as an arrow shot through the portal straight toward where they had just been standing. Pulling free from Nightshade, Kaylin started walking towards Hope as he stepped through the portal in his Aerian form, spreading his hands wide.

"Kaylin, my apologies for the delay in retrieving you. Our attempts to exit the void world have been... contentious."

Annarion emerged behind Hope, relief at seeing his brother banked sharply into anger when he saw Kaylin. He couldn't fail to notice she was dressed only in his brother's tunic. Kaylin had all but forgotten the fading bruises from Semsen's attack until Annarion's eyes turned almost black as his gaze shifted from the tunic to the bruising, taking note of them while frozen in shock and palpable rage.

"What is this, brother?" Well, his mouth still worked, even if his feet were frozen in place. He glared at his brother who was making his way over, slowly and not visibly concerned with Annarion's anger. Kaylin could feel his rising irritation, however, and she wanted to reach Annarion before they came to blows, figurative or literal.

Hope reached back through the portal, yanking Mandoran through while he yelled at whoever was on the other side.

"To hells with your sacred birds! You can shove them all up your collective-" Mandoran was cut off by the familiar smacking the back of his head with a wing. Hope closed the portal the moment he was through. Mandoran then turned and also looked at them in shock and concern.

"What the..." Mandoran started in outraged Elantran before Kaylin ran the remaining distance to them and cut him off by covering his mouth with her hand.

"Don't you even start." She grabbed the back Annarion's tunic with her other hand, stopping him from advancing on his brother. He shot her a look over his shoulder. She met and held his gaze. "And you, just think for once before you jump to conclusions. We have been dragged though hell and back on this world. I am hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and in pain. Your brother is the reason I am alive right now so you can save your righteous indignation for when we get home."

Kaylin paused and took a good look at the boys, barely containing her laughter, despite her irritation, when she noticed they were covered in brightly colored feathers and face paint that was nearly just as bright. Mandoran pulled her hand off his mouth and held it a second.

"I fail to see the humor in this situation. Do you even realize how this looks?" He paused, uncharacteristically serious for once. "We may need to sneak you into your room so you can change. Unless your goal is to start a war? Teela is not going to be happy. Gods, Kaylin, you look awful and if Nightshade didn't look worse than you he probably wouldn't even make it to the portal to get home."

"Says the Barrani wearing more makeup than a street clown..." Kaylin mumbled.

"This world has been less than hospitable." Nightshade said, ignoring Kaylin's comment. Kaylin rolled her eyes at his unhelpful explanation.

"There was madman stuck here. And he..." Kaylin paused as her throat became inexplicably tight. "He attacked me. That's why I'm all bruised."

That got Annarion's attention. He turned to Kaylin and carefully grabbed her shoulders, turning her towards him.

"Are you well? Are the bruises your only injury?" He asked, concerned, his anger towards Nightshade forgotten.

"Other than my pride?" Aware of what he was truly asking, she took a deep breath, looked at the ground and continued. "Yes, he... that's what he wanted. Me, that is. But your brother came in time."

Annarion tipped her chin up to look her in her eyes. He searched her face, looking for any sign she wasn't as okay as she claimed. He nodded once and with ineffable kindness, folded her in his arms. Looking to the side at his brother, his arms tightened around Kaylin. Kaylin could see Nightshade and absent of any jealousy or possessiveness, he met Annarion's gaze. He accepted that Annarion's care was that of a brother's. _He wouldn't be happy if this was Ynpharion though_, she thought.

_Lord Ynpharion is not my brother or kin._ Nightshade responded in the quiet between them. _If there is anything I can trust, it is that my brother will act honorably towards you in all ways. He views you as family._

"He is dead, Calarnnene?" Annarion asked as if there was no other acceptable outcome.

"He is."

"Good." Mandoran added, placing a hand on Kaylin's shoulder after Annarion released her. Hope, now in his more portable form, alighted on her shoulder and nuzzled her face, warbling softly.

"So, what happened to you guys?" Kaylin asked.

Mandoran and Annarion exchanged grimaces. They may have tried avoiding answering the question had Hope not flown back to Annarion, slapped him in the face with a wing and bit him on the ear. Hope was definitely in a mood. Annarion cleared his throat, an embarrassed sound that was jarring coming from a Barrani.

"Chickens." He said in a hurried whisper.

"...Chickens." Kaylin eyeballed him, trying to gauge the veracity of his answer. "Pink and purple chickens? Is that why you guys have feathers stuck in your hair? What did they do, throw them at your heads?"

"Yes to the first two questions. No to the third..."

"Chickens." Nightshade lifted a hand to his brow momentarily in exhausted frustration. He muttered an unfamiliar Barrani word that sent Mandoran's eyebrows halfway up his forehead and turned Annarion's cheeks pink. He was not pleased. Kaylin was going to have to remember that word for later use. "Please do explain how two Barrani Lords of the High Court, who have been trained to fight _dragons_, could have any substantial difficulty with _chickens_ of any color. You can face Shadow and one of our Ancestors but not a chicken?"

The boys had the grace to color while Hope bobbed his head in enthusiastic agreement at Nightshade's words although he didn't seem inclined to explain.

"Annarion, you will explain." When Annarion hesitated Nightshade all but barked at him. "_Now_."

Kaylin wavered where she stood while Nightshade was speaking. Her wrist throbbed and she felt exhausted after what she just went through with Nightshade. He steadied her with a firm hand, not once releasing the boys from the force of his glare. Hope let out an alarmed squawk before flying off her shoulder and transforming into his Aerian form once more.

"Lord Nightshade, the explanations will have to wait. There is a strange substance in the atmosphere of this world and I believe we should not linger." Hope didn't wait for Nightshade's response before raising his hand. A portal rippled into life, once again making Kaylin's skin ache. Hope held out a hand and Kaylin took it, letting him lead her home. Home at last.


	24. Uncharted Waters Nightshade POV Part 1

A/N: I thought it would be fun to write a couple entries from Nightshade's perspective. This one takes place between Uncharted Waters Part 4 and Part 5 when Kaylin is super drunk. Enjoy!

Kaylin had stolen his tunic. Nightshade's memory up to that point was vague at best but he did clearly recall that the tunic she now wore had originally been his. He had been about to ask where her clothes went when she expressed an urgent need to, in her words, "look around" and "check out the pretty trees." She took off running into the woods, shrieking in laughter, throwing glances over her shoulder to see if Nightshade was following. Seeing him there, she ran faster but Nightshade quickly overtook her. He grabbed her and lifted her from behind with an arm around her waist, swinging her around. He pressed a hand against her mouth and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Quiet, Kaylin."

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at the eyes glowing and unmoving in the distance. Kaylin had been running right towards it, in her playful attempt to explore. He was unnerved by the thought and knew also he was still highly intoxicated and could not recall where his sword had gone. He had no desire to tangle with the local wildlife in his current state, especially with Kaylin to consider. She was defenseless at the moment. She would most likely run headlong into further danger if he took his eyes off of her. She'd fallen quiet but she was wriggling against his hold and pouting into his hand that was still over her mouth. He looked around and spotted what appeared to be a dilapidated cabin in the distance, away from the glowing eyes, and began herding a wobbly Kaylin in its direction.

He breathed a sigh of relief, finding the interior largely intact. Kaylin pulled away from him and jumped onto the bed, bouncing a few times and waving her arms frantically to keep her balance. The bed was creaking ominously with her every bounce to the point Nightshade thought it might collapse altogether. He caught her mid jump and sat her down on the mattress.

"Kaylin, please stay here and do not move," Nightshade instructed, trying to ignore her disappointment and pouting lower lip. "I must set a perimeter. I do not wish for you to get hurt by breaking the bed with your jumping."

Kaylin's pouting lip quivered and he ran his finger across it, trying to smooth away her sad frown. Perhaps he was not as successful at ignoring her as he would like. He silently cursed the drunkenness that still affected both of them to such extremes. With more effort than he cared to acknowledge, he dragged himself away from her and out of the cabin.

Reentering the cabin after securing the exterior, Nightshade stopped a few steps in. His face gave away none of his surprise at what he found except for a slight lifting of his brows. Kaylin was sitting, legs tucked to the side, next to a vacant fireplace while clasping hands with the elemental fire kneeling before her. She looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes and he found himself shocked that she was still more or less coherent. Perhaps less... She was slurring a great deal but he had been expecting to find her asleep, not entertaining the Eldest. Nightshade debated questioning her but his curiosity temporarily overrode his concern and he was ultimately relieved she had not invited the Elemental to leap on the bed with her. Taking the rapture the Eldest was staring at her with into consideration, he was not certain the elemental would've declined such an invitation.

The Elemental watched and listened in deceptively youthful delight as if it was a child and she, a beloved storyteller, while she spoke slowly, placing one word carefully in front of the other like she was a child learning to walk. But she was no child, not by mortal reckoning, and if the path she took the elemental down was slow, it was also quiet, gentle.

"My mother used to tell me a story when I was a child."

"You are still a child, Chosen."

"Hush, you sound like Teela. I'm not a child. Do you want a story or not?"

"My apologies. Continue."

She gifted the Eldest with a tale absent precise or adequate words but even so, her meaning was clear. She spoke, with slurred and halting speech, to the elemental of the role fire played in her life and the lives around her. It was the flame that provided the heat and light with which to live, and see, and cook. It was a beacon in the darkness and life in the coldest days. Its warmth was like a mother's embrace, uncomplicated and reassuring. It was the birthright of the dragons as synonymous with their existence as flight. It was a shield against the shadows, a warning to ferals. It was the heart of the hearth. It was the promise of rebirth. It was, to her, in its calmest forms, beautiful and mesmerizing. Perhaps her language was inexact but she still managed to convey all this and more. It was impressive. She could hardly hold herself upright but still held a captive audience.

Nightshade recalled Kaylin saying that she told stories to the fire, that the elemental considered it her function and its due. She, who freed ancient bonds and reshaped the world around her with the words of the Ancients writ small on her skin, held the elemental willingly captive with a bedtime story. It was... enlightening. If it would not so severely discomfort her, he would ask to see those marks in their entirety, to see what had been written and learn what might be gleaned from that study. But she was unlikely to agree. He shut down that line of thinking before Kaylin became aware, not that she was listening. She so rarely did. But she sometimes surprised him and heard what he would've preferred to keep to himself.

The elemental looked up, met his eyes, and nodded.

"Eldest." Nightshade said while returning his nod in acknowledgment. Kaylin turned, still holding the hands of the fire. Her eyes were wide, not in fear but surprise that he had entered so quietly.

"Kaylin, may I ask what you intended by summoning the fire?" He noted her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

"I just wanted to light the fireplace. I've lit a candle before, with Sanabalis. I figured it would be the same idea... Except bigger."

"I see..." he paused, trying to find words in the face of his astonishment. It was indeed bigger... She had accidentally summoned an Elemental on a foreign world while trying to light a simple fire. Lighting a flame was considered magic so simple that Barrani children could achieve such a thing and yet here she was holding hands with an elemental that most practitioners of the arcane arts would struggle to summon on a good day. Nothing was simple with her.

"I would have considered it ill-advised to cast magic while intoxicated. The results tend to be unexpected at best."

"Did you try it before?" She asked, suddenly curious and mildly accusatory.

"Little one," he replied, avoiding the question. It was best not to give her any ideas from his youthful foibles. "You do not even know how dangerous you are. You are like a child who plays with the things of gods, not mortals."

She frowned at him, indignation written on her face.

"We are on a foreign world, Kaylin. Are you so certain of your control in this place that you would risk such? Summoning an elemental is not a trivial matter. Were it not restrained we would be lost here. " He gentled his voice, feeling the sting his words had caused. He had not intended to chastise but to help her comprehend the danger. He could feel that she understood though she did not respond. She turned back to face the fire, to send it away but the elemental pulled a hand from hers and softly brushed Nightshade's mark.

"I will not harm the little Chosen, if that is your concern. I understand your fear. It is a reasonable and justified fear, though I think the child feels you are unduly harsh. I could ravage this world if given the freedom to do so but know that she has given me a great gift with her stories. I do not see myself as she sees me. It is such a small part of who I am. But it is a reminder and I think a necessary one. I would not see her or her consort destroyed."

"It is a part of my concern, yes." Nightshade bowed. He had been surprised to hear the voice of the fire. It rarely spoke so clearly. "You have my thanks, Eldest."

He could sense Kaylin's desire to quibble over the elemental's use of "consort". It was rather amusing. Nightshade watched as the fire gained his feet, without releasing Kaylin. The fire bent at the waist and kissed her forehead, almost in paternal benediction.

"Sleep well, Chosen. Rest while you can. Your world needs you to return so it can hear you tell its story, to be challenged and changed in the telling. You will be safe here tonight, I think, for you are guarded well." The fire straightened and looked to Nightshade, adding, "she is young."

"She is."

Kaylin started listing sideways as she fell asleep at the bidding of the elemental. The fire caught her, lifting her with great care, and turned to Nightshade.

"She will need guidance, Calarnenne. The child is Chosen in all ways but even the most powerful among us stumble until we learn how to use the power we are given. You will protect her?"

"I will, Eldest."

"You will guide her?"

"As much as she will allow."

The fire laughed, the sound warm and not quite tame.

"She is stubborn in the way of all young. She will not remember much of this night, I think. You consider hope to be a blade that cuts where it exists. You have learned to guard yourself against the pain it brings. But Calarnenne, it is hope that defines her. Shield her as you must but let her hope." The elemental paused. "She is precious. And dear. I will listen, from this great remove, for the stories she has yet to tell."

Nightshade considered asking how it knew things it shouldn't know. The common theory was that the elementals were unique and individual to their own worlds. Perhaps the answer was more complicated than previously thought. But in thinking this, he decided it was wiser and safer to not to question the heart of fire. The elemental inclined its head and held Kaylin out to him as if she weighed nothing. Nightshade took her in his own arms and glanced down at her sleeping face. He was momentarily distracted as she buried her face against his chest. The movement was disarming in its innocence. He felt for moment that he'd go to war to protect that innocence. She never recognized innocence in herself. She'd argue most vehemently at the suggestion. But she always judged herself harshly, her opinion skewed by guilt and self-loathing.

He looked back to where the fire had been standing to find the elemental gone and a hearty flame dancing in a fireplace that had been barren of flame only moments ago. He turned away from it, bearing his burden to the bed opposite the fire. He settled her on the mattress, pulling the blankets over her. Looking at her sleeping peacefully with her tousled, wind-dried hair falling across his mark and lips that were slightly parted, he decided that hope is not the only thing that cuts. He lightly pressed his lips to her forehead where the fire had kissed her and thought that perhaps there were some things that cut far deeper. His sundered kin had been correct. He was a fool and a sentimental one at that.


End file.
